Burling Wins Event Five To Become A Serious Title Contender

Gisborne surfer Michael Burling (25) won the fifth event of the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour completed at Whangamata today (Sunday 15th March) to become a major tour-title threat with only one event remaining.

The surf at Whangamata remained under 1.0m for the final day with onshore winds making life difficult for New Zealand’s best longboarders. The Whangamata event was a five star rated event with $4,500 in prize money and additional rating points for the competing surfers.

Burling placed second at the previous two events held at Sandy Bay and Christchurch but today took the honours scoring 15.95 out of a possible 20 with his powerful approach to the waves.

“I was lucky to find the waves out there. It got better and better throughout the day but was still pretty small and messy to surf at your best” commented Burling.
 

Due to his Tongan descent, Burling is ineligible to surf in the National Champs which makes up one of the six events on the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour. Despite this handicap he sits in third place on the ratings and is now positioned extremely well to make a full on assault for the Tour title.

“The title race is realistically down to three surfers now and I am sitting in third place so I am looking forward to the final event and going for the title. I am super happy to be part of the title race” commented Burling. “If I win the event then I win the Tour so the equation is simple for me.”

Burling out pointed the two surfers that lead him on the ratings – Daniel Proctor (Gis) and Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck) in the final. Proctor placed second today and remains in second place on the ratings. Proctor made a late charge for the lead in the final with two brilliantly ridden lefthanders. The waves included hang tens and searing cutbacks to score 7.8 and 7.3 respectively but they fell just short of Burling’s big scores.

Current ratings leader going into the event, Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck), placed third today and held on to his number one position. The final never went Kibblewhite’s way despite his good 12.75 heat total.

Kibblewhite leads the ratings but having contested all five events to date this year he is at a disadvantage to second and third placed Proctor and Burling who who have only contested four events.

Each surfers best five results on the 2009 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour count toward their ratings total therefore Kibblewhite goes into the final event having to drop one result while Proctor and Burling do not.

Kibblewhitehe will need to convincingly beat his opponents at the final event staged at Port Waikato in two weeks time (27-28 March) if he is to win the Tour.

Phil Morris (Auck) placed fourth in the final scoring 12.6 points. Morris posted a good 7.5 point ride early in the final and was in a good position to challenge for the win but could not find a good second scoring ride such were the fickle conditions. As a result of his fourth placing Morris moves up to eighth on the ratings.

In the semifinals Burling and Kibblewhite eliminated Kelly Ryan (Gis) and Leroy Rust (Dun) in semifinal one while Proctor and Morris eliminated Sam Guthrie (Mnt) and Hone Douglas (Ohope) in semifinal two.

The local surfers managed to pick up one title through Lynden Kennings in the Over 40s Division. Kennings remains unbeaten in the division having won the three events he has contested. He posted the highest heat score of the event in the final – 18.3 out of a possible 20. His score line included a near perfect 9.75 point ride.

Kennings left his opponents requiring an insurmountable combination of scores to catch him and it was Brian Young (Orewa) who eventually placed second with a total of 12.3. Raglan surfers Mike Thomson and Rob Hawkins placed third and fourth respectively.

Monique Waitzer of Auckland showed some fine foot work to post scores of 7.75 and 6.0 on her top two rides in the Women’s Division. It wasn’t until late in the heat that Waitzer clinched the win after Taranaki surfer Jo Moore surfed to a 12.40 point heat total to hold the lead with five minutes remaining. Shelley Jones (Auck) placed third in the final with a 10.25 point heat total and Belinda Goodwin (Rag) placed fourth with a score of 8.15.

Orewa Beach surfer Paul Browne surfed to his second win of the year in the Over 50 Men’s Division. Browne posted an 11.65 total heat score in the tricky conditions. Browne pipped David Storck (Piha) who placed second with a score of 9.75. Double finalist Michael Thomson (Rag) placed third ahead of Taff Kennings (WGM) in fourth.

Sam Guthrie (Mnt) clinched the Junior Men’s Division of the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour by winning his third event of the year. Guthrie, who also placed fifth in the Open Men’s Division, posted 15.10 in the junior final. He took a while to notch up his score line with his final wave of 7.8 being his best scoring ride. Dunedin surfer Leroy Rust placed second to secure his best result of the year. Rust scored 13.10 in the final to beat Rick Williamson (Ohope) in third and Eli Barnfield (Ohope) in fourth.

2009 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Whangamata Results

Open Men Quarterfinals

Heat 1: Michael Burling (Gis), 1, Leroy Rust (Dun), 2, Kirk Beyer (Wgtn), 3, Lynden Kennings (Whmata), 4
Heat 2: Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck), 1, Kelly Ryan (Gis), 2, Rick Williamson (Whtane), 3, Eli Barnfield (Ohope), 4
Heat 3: Daniel Proctor (Gis), 1, Phil Morris (Auck), 2, Dylan Barnfield (Ohope), 3, Shayne Baxter (ChCh), 4
Heat 4: Sam Guthrie (Mnt), 1, Hone Douglas (Ohope), 2, Braedon Williams (Whmata), 3, Mathew Cockayne (Mngwhai), 4

Open Men Semifinals

Heat 1: Michael Burling (Gis), 1, Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck), 2, Kelly Ryan (Gis), 3, Leroy Rust (Dun), 4
Heat 2: Daniel Proctor (Gis), 1, Phil Morris (Auck), 2, Sam Guthrie (Mnt), 3, Hone Douglas (Ohope), 4

Open Men Final

Michael Burling (Gis), 1, Daniel Proctor (Gis), 2, Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck), 3, Phil Morris (Auck), 4

Open Women’s Final

Monique Waitzer (Aus), 1, Josephine Moore (Tara), 2, Shelly Jones (Auck), 3, Belinda Goodwin (Mt), 4

Junior Men’s Final

Sam Guthrie (Mnt), 1, Leroy Rust (Dun), 2, Rick Williamson (Ohope), 3, Eli Barnfield (Ohope), 4

Over 40 Men’s Semifinals

Heat 1: Mike Thomson (Rag), 1, Rob Hawkins (Rag), 2, Scotty Riach (Stanmore Bay), 3, Mal Brady (Mnt), 4
Heat 2: Lynden Kennings (Piha), 1, Brian Young (Orewa), 2, Warwick Gray (USA), 3, Grant Cochrane (ChCh), 4

Over 40 Men’s Final

Lynden Kennings (Piha), 1, Brian Young (Orewa), 2, Mike Thomson (Rag), 3, Rob Hawkins (Rag), 4

Over 50 Men’s Semifinals

Heat 1: Mike Thomson (Rag), 1, Taff Kennings (Whgmata), 2, Graham Bambery (Whitianga), 3
Heat 2: Paul Browne (Orewa), 1, David Storck (Piha), 2, John Goddard (Auck), 3

Over 50 Men’s Final

Paul Browne (Orewa), 1, David Storck (Piha), 2, Mike Thomson (Rag), 3, Taff Kennings (Whgmata), 4

Provisional Hyundai Pro Longboard ratings after five of six events

Open Men’s Top 10

1, Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck)
2, Daniel Proctor (Gis)
3, Michael Burling (Gis)
4, Dylan Barnfield (Ohope)
5, Sam Guthrie (Mnt)
6, Leroy Rust (Dun)
7, Shayne Baxter (ChCh)
8, Phil Morris (Auck)
9, Lynden Kennings (Whmata)
10, Emanuele Lai (Auck)

Open Women’s Top 5

1, Josephine Moore (Tara)
2, Shereen Lobb (Port Wai)
3, Shelly Jones (Auck)
4, Daisy Thomas (ChCh)
5, Belinda Galley (Gis)

Under 18 Men’s Top 5

1, Sam Guthrie (Mnt)
2, Leroy Rust ((Dun)
3, Rick Williamson (Ohope)
4, Sam Hawke (ChCh)
5, Eli Barnfield (Ohope)

Under 40 Men’s Top 5

1, Lynden Kennings (Piha)
2, Mal Brady (Mnt)
3, David Storck (Auck)
4, Rob Hawkins (Rag)
5, Grant Cochrane (ChCh)

Over 50 Men’s Top 5

1, David Storck (Auck)
2, Barry Watkins (Te Puke)
3, Paul Hardy Browne (Orewa)
4, Grant Cochrane (ChCh)
5, Ian Parker (Auck)