The new guard officially announces its arrival when 22-year-old Andy Irons, still getting his competitive sea legs on the ASP World Championship Tour, blasts his way past Jake Paterson in the final. As the first big event at Lowers since the Bud Tour days, the Billabong Pro promises to provide the Dream Tour with one thing it had been missing: the ultimate high-performance wave. Just four years after winning the NSSA National Championships at the same spot, Irons does it again against the world, busting out a high-speed, fins-free reverse in the final. If it wasn’t clear before, it is now. Future World Titles: guaranteed.
2001
The attacks of September 11 force organizers to cancel the event for a year.
2002
The Boost Mobile Pro presented by Billabong comes roaring back in 2002, with the best and biggest surf in the event’s history to date. Despite high-flying performances from Kelly Slater, Andy Irons and Shane Beschen, Luke Egan sticks to the formula and carves out a solid win. “For 15 years we’ve been surfing contests at Huntington,” says Egan. “I’ve always said, ‘What are we doing up here? We should be down there.’ And now we’ve shown why.”
2003
Consistency triumphs over flash once again when Aussie journeyman Richie Lovett beats Taj Burrow in the final of the Boost Mobile Pro presented by Quiksilver. While the waves don’t come close to the previous year, the event rides high on emotion as the sentimental favorite — who would come down with a rare bone cancer two years later — got his first World Championship Tour win. “I’d nearly come to the point of believing this would never happen at all,” says Lovett. But at Lowers, thanks to a blistering backhand attack on the lefts, it did happen.
2004
What’s the only thing smoother than an oil-glass set at Lowers? Joel Parkinson riding that set. He proves this at the 2004 Boost Mobile Pro presented by Quiksilver when he beats Kelly Slater in the final. Parko is feeling so confident, he even busts a half-Superman and claims it for the crowd. “Could you tell I was joking?” he asks.
2005
The best surfer of all time — Kelly Slater — finally adds his name to the Trestles WCT Wall of Champions when he takes out Aussie power-surfer Phil MacDonald in the final. The win wasn’t without controversy, however, when Kelly’s last wave — a heat-winning 9.0 — became a source of debate. “It wasn’t even a set!” screamed the Aussies. “Gonna have to stab the guy who gave him the nine,” said Macca. But Slater — as always — rises above the chatter and savors his first win at Trestles in 15 years. “Hey, my year is going great,” he said. “The pressure’s off.” He goes on to win his first world title since 1998.
2006
Revenge of the Aussie Journeyman. This time it’s Gentle Assassin Bede Durbidge who does the damage at the Boost Mobile Pro Presented by Hurley. In a single day, he takes down the three giants: Andy Irons, Taj Burrow and Kelly Slater, and accepts the $30,000 first-place check from Richie Lovett. “Bede just doesn’t get rattled,” says Kelly. “That’s his secret.”
2007
Next generation surfers Dane Reynolds and Jordy Smith announce their presence by upsetting Taj Burrow and Mick Fanning, but one thing remains the same at the Boost Mobile Pro presented by Hurley: Kelly is King. Best heat of the event is between he and good friend Taylor Knox in the quarters, then he waltzes to his second win in three years and a commanding lead in his quest for eight world titles.
2008
Kelly Slater finds himself in another Lowers final against another Aussie, and it looks really bleak this time. Taj has two nines to Kelly’s nothing, and seconds are ticking at the Boost Mobile Pro presented by Hurley. But The Greatest outdoes himself yet again, posting a 9.7 and then, with Taj holding priority, gets a dribbly in-betweener under him and magically turns it into a 9.2. Kelly pockets the record-breaking $75,000 prize purse and disappears before anyone even realizes what happened. “It’s what he’s famous for,” says Taj. “I don’t even want to talk about it.”
