Taj Burrow finding some tubo time during a free surf at last year's event. Photo: ASP/Cestari
The Pressure Is Off: Taj Burrow Will Win In Peniche
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Tetsuhiko EndoPicking Slater or John John to win in Portugal would be too easy, so my bet goes to Taj Burrow. Sitting 4th in the ratings before Portugal with a 3rd place, a couple of quarter final finishes, and a win peppered by a string of bad results, Taj is coming from behind into this event with bit of momentum. He’s proved he can do it, having won nearly every stop on tour except for the “Pacific left-handers leg,” where the best he’s done is a final at Teahupoo. Lucky for him, the rights are as good as the lefts when it gets barreling in Supertubos, Peniche.
In the past few years of WCT events in Portugal, we’ve seen the absolute best of Peniche and a little of the worst. Burrow has done some of the best surfing in nearly all conditions.
2011 was an amazing year for the Rip Curl Pro Portugal (now called Moche Pro Portugal Presented by Rip Curl) and Taj made the semis before losing to Kelly in what was considered the best event of the year. He had been even more impressive a couple of years before when a few round were held at the back up location, Pico da Mota, a spot really well suited for high performance surfing.
Last year he had a shocker, though, when he lost in some of the worst conditions in WCT history to Kolohe Andino, who miraculously found a couple of barrels in the on-shore close outs of Supertubos. Less than two hours later, the same would happen to Kelly Slater at the hands of Raoni Monteiro. Luck was a bigger factor than in most events. Not to underestimate Monteiro or Andino’s ability – they are both amazing surfers – but on that day, luck was definitely more of a factor than skill.
Although the race for the title is out of his hands, and Mick Fanning can actually take it in Portugal, Taj has a something that others don’t: the pressure is off. He’ll probably bring a bunch of magic Mayhems that he’s been collecting all year and win every heat, including both non-elimination rounds.
