2010 Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay
Published - 19 July 2010
The fourth event of the 2010 Men's Dream Tour was run over the first few days of the waiting period as the swell was pumping down in South Africa. J Bay is a popular event for many of the surfers on Tour, with its heavy right hand point delivering long, clean rides, allowing the surfers to show the judges just what they've got. The shocking news of Joel Parkinson's (AUS) withdrawal from the event due to a fin slice in the heel, left the door open for the title race, and it also allowed Frenchman Joan Duru (who just missed out on qualifying this year) a place in the event. Along the way there were a few upsets and surprises, most notably Kelly Slater (USA) being knocked out in ROund 3 by local Sean Holmes. Holmes then went on to see that Andy Irons (HAW) didn't progress any further than Round 4. Taj Burrow (AUS) kept battling through, with quite a few close heats, but unfortunately got knocked out in the Semi Finals by Adam Melling (AUS). Melling was the surprise player in the Finals, up against local boy Jordy Smith, who went on to win the event, his first WCT title at the age of 22.