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Newquay boy is highest-placed British surfer
by George Mojo
07/12/2007:// Russell Winter finished the World Qualifying Series pro tour as the highest-placed British surfer.
The 33-year-old British number one ended the 2007 season in 81st place after a fourth-round exit at the final event the O'Neill World Cup, in Hawaii.
Winter, from Newquay, gained 6,539 points from his top seven scoring events ending the season more than 8,000 behind tour winner South African Jordy Smith.
Winter, who has been a regular on the pro circuit for more than a decade, has been one of Britain's most high profile surfers in recent years with a brief stint on the World Championship Tour.
He was forced out of the top 44 due to injury. A past winner of the Rip Curl Newquay Boardmasters he recently helped Newquay retain their British Inter Club title at Fistral Beach.
Winter ended the season at Sunset Beach in style finishing second in his opening heat before booking a place in round four with a heat winning performance that saw him defeat Kirk Flintoff, Kekoa Bacalso and Mason Ho.
In his last outing, a round found clash against TJ Barron, seed Joel Parkinson and Dayyan Neve, the Cornish-based surfer only managed 2.16 points in demanding waves at the famed North Shore break.
In a fairly low-scoring heat, Barron and Neve progressed with nine point totals, while Winter had to settle for fourth and eventual elimination.
While Winter could only watch from the sidelines for the rest of the competition, a childhood dream came true for Sunset Beach resident Makuakai Rothman when he won the biggest professional surfing event of his career to win the final at the beach he was born and raised on.
In the dying two minutes of the final, Rothman secured the highest scoring ride of the 35-minute heat to edge out Brazilian Leonardo Neves.
Neves had dominated from the outset and the local Brazilian contingent were starting to celebrate when the wave of the final peaked up and Rothman took off.
Needing a near-perfect score of 9.2 points, Rothman found his way into the tube, earning 9.5 points to turn the tables and seal the victory.
World champion-elect Mick Fanning, from Australia, took third place, and O’Neill World Cup giant-killer Daniel Ross, also from Australia, placed fourth in the final.
Reaching the final was especially sweet for Fanning, who has won his way onto the elite ASP World Championship Tour for 2008 with this result.
[Carissa Moore (in yellow) receiving the winner's prize]
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ASP International has announce the inception of their fourth regional branch, ASP Australasia
Twenty-six-year-old Pablo Guitierrez took top honours in the Superbock Pro in Portugal after defeating fellow Portugeuse surfer Eduardo Fernandes in the final
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