LOWER TRESTLES, California/USA (Saturday, September 18, 2010) - Kelly Slater (USA), 38, past nine-time ASP World Champion, has taken out the 2010 Hurley Pro at Trestles in flawless six-foot (2 metre) waves over lethal Australian Bede Durbidge (AUS), 27.

Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Hurley Pro at Trestles culminated in stunning fashion today with the iconic Floridian collecting an unprecedented 43rd elite tour victory.

"What can I say? What a week," Slater said. "We looked at the swell forecast and Pat (O'Connell) and I were talking, going 'look what we're going to get this week.' I've got to thank Bob Hurley and the whole Hurley crew. I think they just brainstormed and put a lot of good ideas together for us. The experience was just awesome."

Today's win, his fourth elite tour win at Lower Trestles (2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010), vaults Slater into the ratings' lead in his hunt for an unprecedented 10th ASP World Title.

"Looking back at my career, I never would have fathomed a ninth title, let alone a 10th," Slater said. "I don't know what to say. It's still a long road ahead. We still have four events and I'm just trying to soak in this win and not even think about everything right now."

Slater, who was relegated to Round 5 by Australian Owen Wright (AUS), 20, in Round 4, capitalized on the newly-implemented double-elimination round and sprung back with a vengeance after earning a free pass to the Quarterfinals after his opponent, Davidson, was too ill to compete.

"I think the new format is good for the fans," Slater said. "They get to see us surf a little more and it was definitely a different mindset for me paddling out yesterday. I was kind of just having fun. I was out there to have a good time and I sort of realized at the halfway mark that I was in a heat. I feel like I sort of blew that heat, but it's a bonus. If you win you get a round off and if you lose you get to surf again. I think it's good overall. It does make us surf once more than we would normally, but I don't mind out here."

Bede Durbidge (AUS), 27, who defeated Slater at this event in 2006, was unable to repeat the magic this year, but was ultimately thankful for his Runner-Up finish.

"I've got a baby on the way, so it was really good to get a result here," Durbidge said. "I can't compete in Portugal. This was an important comp for me. Congrats go to Kelly (Slater). He's the man out here and his record is second to none and he's so dangerous. It was good to make the Final. I'm stoked."

Durbidge's charge to the Final was no easy task however, as the current ASP World No. 8 ousted current ASP World No. 2 Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, in their Quarterfinals matchup and Dane Reynolds (USA), 25, in the Semifinals before falling to Slater in the Final.
"Trestles is just a really fun wave and everyone rips out here," Durbidge said. "I think putting a bit of pressure on everyone early can make them crumble. That was my plan, but it didn't work for Kelly. I just did what it took to get through the heats. I had a tough draw there and Dane (Reynolds) and Jordy (Smith) didn't have the best heats against me, so that was a bonus and I'm happy I made the Final."

Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, reigning ASP World Champion and defending event winner, was near flawless throughout the Hurley Pro at Trestles, consistently netting high scores with unrivalled speed and power. However, the Australian's form fell short in his Semifinal against eventual winner Slater, as he finished Equal 3rd and moved up to No. 5 on the ASP World Title Race rankings.

"I don't know - when Kelly (Slater) tried to pull those silly tricks, it made my brain explode and it sort of took me too long to get my head back together," Fanning said. "It's all good. It's a good start to the leg and hopefully I can keep getting through heats. I'm just going to keep having fun and hopefully keep improving my surfing and hopefully keep pushing."

Dane Reynolds, current ASP World No. 4, continued to exhibit his brand of mind-blowing, progressive surfing at Lower Trestles. A consistent high-scorer throughout the event, Reynolds failed to surpass Durbidge in their Semifinal bout, but remained grateful at the opportunity to surf waves of such quality.

"I was tired but that didn't come in to play," Reynolds said. "Sometimes, if I can't picture how I'm going to surf a wave, I just get baffled. That happened in that Taj (Burrow) heat too in South Africa. I just lose the picture. It was a ton of fun to surf Trestles like this. As soon as the heat was over it was super fun again. I felt like I could surf again."

Jordy Smith, into his third season on the elite ASP World Tour, was one of the form surfers of the event this year. However, after suffering two broken boards yesterday, the young South African was unable to overcome Durbidge in the Quarterfinals. With his Equal 5th place finish, Smith retains the ASP World No. 2 spot heading into the European leg.

"It was a tough one," Smith said. "I broke two of my best boards ever yesterday and paddled out on a plug and it didn't go so well. You have heats like that. You can't win everyone. I think this year I've relaxed a lot more. I don't put as much pressure out on myself. In years prior, I was a little arrogant and got ahead of myself and would surf brand new boards in heats. This year is different for me, and now I'm just focused on Europe."

For high and low-res images, video highlights and video news releases go to http://www.thehurleypro.com/downloads

Highlights from the Hurley Pro at Trestles will be available via http://www.hurley.com/hurleypro/

The next stop on the 2010 ASP World Tour will be the Quiksilver Pro France from September 25 through October 5th, 2010.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

HURLEY PRO TRESTLES FINAL RESULTS:
1 - Kelly Slater (USA) 18.13
2 - Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.13

HURLEY PRO TRESTLES SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.87 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 10.43
SF 2: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.67 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 9.63

HURLEY PRO TRESTLES QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.60 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 8.20
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.03 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 15.97
QF 3: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13.27 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.87
QF 4: Dane Reynolds (USA) 14.80 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.90

HURLEY PRO TRESTLES ROUND 5 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 13.76 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 10.50
Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.10 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) N/S
Heat 3: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.40 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 7.47
Heat 4: Dane Reynolds (USA) 12.04 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.73

ASP WORLD TITLE RACE TOP 5 (After Hurley Pro at Trestles):
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 40,000 pts
2. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 35,500 pts
3. Taj Burrow (AUS) 30,500 pts
4. Dane Reynolds (USA) 30,250 pts
5. Mick Fanning (AUS) 29,500 pts

Photos of Kelly via ASP/ Kirstin & Rowland

Jordy Smith's Billabong Pro victory on Sunday vaulted him past Kelly Slater into the top spot in the ASP ratings. The third-year pro broke into tears after his hard fought win.

It's been a long road for Smith. After some white-knuckle moments during his rookie season that fed a ruthless press, he's managed to shake the critics, locate a few toeholds and start climbing his way up the ratings wall.

The evidence will show Jordy surfing strongly throughout the event. His most impressive victory was without question his last minute heroics versus Bede Durbidge. Contrast Jordy's amazing comeback to Dane Reynolds complete meltdown against Taj Burrow and you have a very telling picture.

Smith is likely to take more heat now that he's, once again, the world's biggest target. But from his elevated position it's much easier for him to fire back...and silence them.

Here's the tale of the tape from the historic final day at J-Bay.

Quarterfinal number 1: Jordy Smith takes down the always dangerous Adriano de Souza of Brazil.


Quarterfinal number 2: Bede Durbidge ends the amazing run of South African wild card Sean Holmes.


Quarterfinal number 3: Dane Reynolds cracks under the pressure of a Taj Burrow assault.


Quarterfinal number 4: Aussie Adam Melling knocks out the last remaining goofyfooter, Damien Hobgood.


Semifinal number 1: Jordy Smith makes his amazing last-minute charge to get past Bede Durbidge.


Semifinal number 2: Adam Melling upsets Taj Burrow to make is first-ever ASP final and solidify Jordy's new lead.


THE FINAL: Jordy Smith beats Adam Melling to take his first-ever ASP victory on a historic day in South Africa.


The final day highlight package from an incredible day of surfing in J-Bay.

Most of the big boys rebounded today at the Billabong Pro in Brazil as conditions improved for Round Two.
Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow and Mick Fanning all survived their loser's round forays after being defeated on Saturday in Round One. Slater (below) looked solid vs. Brazilian wild card Messias Felix.

But three-time world champion Andy Irons wasn't so lucky. His world tour comeback has been lackluster so far. Now three events in Irons' competitive career is officially on life support. Andy has two more events to get his act together. A very solid result in South Africa or Tahiti to keep his career afloat.

Luckily, Andy has two months to get into fighting shape, because frankly, he's still looking a bit soft in the middle, and his surfing isn't nearly as threatening as a result. A dead giveaway of this is his heavy reliance on the layback snap of late. The layback snap -- while at times flashy -- is a lazy maneuver. It takes far less effort than a full-body wrap around. It's the move you push out when you're out of energy. Andy's batteries still need charging.

Much of the story in Round Two was the horrific rookie slaughtering. Dusty Payne, Brett Simpson and Nate Yeomans were among the victims. But Owen Wright and both Tanner and Patrick Gudauskas advance straight into Round Three after their strong performances in Round One on Saturday.

As is usually the case heading into Round Three, there are some solid fight cards on the schedule. Here are a few I think could get interesting...

Parko vs. Matt Wilko -
Parko's lit his first heat up, surfing smoothly and with a hunger we haven't seen yet this year. But Wilko is looking to get some traction here. He's dangerous in these conditions. This is no walk in the Park for Parko.

Damien vs. Jadson Andre -
Two very dynamic goofygooters. Damien's been having a rough go of late, and Andre -- who has a healthy bag of tricks -- is also on his home turf. This one will get interesting.

Adriano vs. Pat Gudang -
The more I think about it, the more I realize these guys have very similar approaches. Adriano is the defending champion, but Pat has proven that he's not easily intimidated...and he'll be looking for launch pads.

Dane vs. Kekoa -
On paper you wouldn't think this would be close -- especially in Brazil. But Kekoa never looks like a major threat on paper even though he almost always is. The guy throws some serious power into his turns. Dane will have to take to the air to get past him.

Bede vs. Owen Wright -
This is a battle of the machines. Mr. Wright is in desperate need of his first good result and some momentum. But Bede is a notorious giant killer. Nobody's going to roll over in this one.

Freddy vs. Jeremy -
Two of the guys who're always lurking just below the headlines even while putting in some very solid performances. They're well matched in the bag-of-tricks department.

Kelly vs. Tanner Gudang -
Another one that isn't close on paper...But keep this in mind: Historically, Slater has more problems with rookies and wild cards than he does title contenders. Gudauskas will have plenty of motivation -- the problem is it could just be too much. Surfers tend to abandon their game plans against Slater, when they should be thinking more like Rocky Balboa in the original. In other words, just go the distance and make it respectable.

Jordy vs. Ben Dunn -
Jordy seems to be playing the game well right now. Speed is the key for him against Dunn in Brazil conditions though, so board selection will be key. Smith gets confused by equipment choices. That's why this one could surprise.

Taylor vs Tiago -
Tiago can never be taken lightly. And Taylor will never take anything off of his heavy turns -- even here. This will be a tough match for Knox. Though he's from Portugal, Tiago has some serious fans in Brazil.

The ASP World Tour as you've known it is no more.

The full impact of the changes announced last fall during the European leg are now being realized, and they're much more significant than first thought. Apparently Slater's threats weren't in vain.

The reason for the surprise? Well, the ASP didn't actually implement their new "world ranking" system until the beginning of this year. Word on the street is the process was a much more painful to figure out than anticipated (which explains why they unveiled it with very little fanfare).

The major sticking point was deciding how to properly format the new "world ranking" that will ultimately control a surfers destiny in the years ahead. Valuing the ASP's various tiers: World Tour, Prime, and Star events, was no easy feat, as each level's results had to be merged into the larger ranking picture.

When their homework was finally completed the ruling was to punish losers and reward winners more significantly at every level. Going forward, this means there will be a much higher turnover at the top ranks, and job security for surfers like Jay Thompson (above) will be non-existent as ranking volatility increases.

Ultimately, the best part of these changes is surfers can rise faster than ever before to the world championship level. The scariest part (for them) is they can fall just as fast.

Most fans are already aware this season has been essentially cut in half. Indeed, after stop number five in Tahiti, the 12 lowest ranked surfers on the current World Tour will be sent back to the minors as the field is reduced to 32. Only the top 22 of the remaining 32 will qualify for the 2011 World Tour based on their World Title ranking. The remaining 10 slots will be filled by using the all-inclusive "world ranking."

All points earned -- regardless of tier level -- count toward a surfers World Ranking.

While things out on the World Tour just got a lot tougher, with the new world ranking the Prime and Star rated events play a much more significant -- and immediate -- role in the larger picture as well.

In fact, the payoffs available in Prime and 6 Star events are now impossible for World Tour surfers to ignore, which is why 33 of the Top 45 showed up at Margaret River for the recent Prime event there. The Nike Pro at Trestles, Hurley U.S. Open in Huntington and Cold Water Classic in Santa Cruz is slated to be stacked as well.

Why are the big guns showing up? Well, the breakdown on the right will help explain it. Note how even a 37th place finish in a Prime event (the second tier in blue) will net him 368 more points than yet another 33rd in a World Tour event (in black). Frankly, this is as it should be, since a 33rd on the World Tour is a last place finish, and a 37th place finish in a Prime event means that surfer made it through a couple tough rounds.

A surfer that actually goes on to win a PRIME event will net as many points as if he finished in 3rd place in a World Tour event, which will play a huge factor in boosting his world ranking, whether he's already on the tour or not.

The greater meaning of all this is the minor leagues aren't so minor any more. That's a good thing for surfing fans.

What's most encouraging about this new rating system is it takes solid results to survive at every tier. Mediocrity is being punished, while winning pays more than before. In fact, this year the point spread between a last place finish (33rd) and World Tour win is 9500 points -- a 73% jump from 2009. The spread between a win and 17th place is 50% larger; 9th place by 26%; 5th by 15%; 3rd by 11%, and 2nd place by 7%.

In other words, the thrill of victory is growing...but so too is the agony of defeat.

Come 2011, those factors will be magnified as the ASP says it will be constantly refreshing it's World Tour events using the up to date world ranking. It has yet to be decided how often they'll be hitting the reset button, but the fact is one no longer has to wait until the year's end to climb to the top (or fall out of it).

A surfers world ranking will be based on the best 8 results of the last 12 months, regardless of where we are in the current season. So while the year-end ranking will matter if you're shooting for a world title, the process of moving up and down the ranks will be much more fluid throughout the year.

With events at every level weighing much heavier in the big picture, things are sure to get a lot more interesting.

Joel Parkinson is crispy black and smoking about now, and he needs help, because he's been struck by lightning twice in the past two weeks. Somebody needs to yank his ass inside and batten down the hatches--and quickly-- if they want to keep his title hopes alive. Because Mick Fanning, the man behind that lighting storm, is still looming, and right about now it looks like Parko just put a metal driver in his hand as the clouds are growing darker.

Fanning just won again at the Quiksilver Pro in France, defeating his mate Bede Durbidge in the Final with the same laser-sharp attack he's been bringing all year. While early on this season Mick's flashes looked pretty out there on the horizon, they weren't threatening anything or anyone. Up until last week Fanning had gone without a win since 2007, the year he won his title. But after back-to-back direct hits at Trestles and Les Bourdains in the span of a week, he's jolted this season's title race back to life with only three events left to go.

"It's back on for sure," says Fanning. "I'm just phsyced on heading into the rest of the season."

Fanning has pulled away from the rest of those giving chase with his wins, making it a two horse race now. Fanning was trailing Parko by more than 900 points heading into France, he now trails him by a scant 146 points as the tour heads to Spain.

Both CJ Hobgood and Kelly Slater were dealt serious blows today by failing to capitalize on Parko's second-straight early loss. Hobgood lost to Ben Dunn in the fourth round. Slater, meanwhile, made it to the quarterfinals, where Portugal's Tiago Pires--a frequent thorn in his side--defeated him in a close one.


Tiago is one of the only surfers who actually beat Slater last year during his amazing title run. Before his loss today, Slater was cautiously optimistic after Parko's loss on Saturday, "I don't smell blood yet," he said. "I'm still trying to find him in the forest."

Slater looked rattled by the loss. He knows now some clear-cutting will be necessary in Mundaka if he wants to keep his title hopes from fading to total blackness. Both he and CJ Hobgood have had success at Mundaka in the past, but the problem now is they're both chasing two surfers instead of one. The Australians must have a total meltdown for either to get his foot in the door.

In the meantime, Parko and Mick will be trying to slam it on each other.

Things just got a lot more interesting.

Results of Quiksilver Pro France 2009

1. Mick Fanning
2. Bede Durbidge
3. Patrick Beven, Tiago Pires
5. Ben Dunn, Bobby Martinez, Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow

CURRENT ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 10 (After Quiksilver Pro France):

1 - Joel Parkinson (AUS) 5896 points

2 - Mick Fanning (AUS) 5750 points

3 - C.J. Hobgood (USA) 4872 points

4 - Bede Durbidge (AUS) 4792 points

5 - Kelly Slater (USA) 4638 points

6 - Adriano de Souza (BRA) 4573 points

7 - Taj Burrow (AUS) 4417 points

8 - Damien Hobgood (USA) 4384 points

9 - Bobby Martinez (USA) 4314 points

10 - Taylor Knox (USA) 4216 points