There was a bit of controversy in regards to this heat.. people were saying Taj got underscored or that Kelly got juiced. I personally dont believe so, Taj was jerky thru his transitions, bouncing around just a bit, Kelly was smooth, powerful and dominating. Watch the video and let me know your thoughts!
Nike US Open Of Surfing: Kelly Slater vs Taj Burrow from Surfing Life on Vimeo.
I’m a little biased..but Taj surfs like a crab compared to Kelly lol
less than a quarter point difference is always going to look close… but Kelly had this one
Love Kelly but Taj got jobbed on this one
At first glance, Taj’s 6.6 looks a little low for such a committed maneuver, but overall, it was just a big hack and a lil foam climb on that one wave – whereas the higher scoring waves had much more chained maneuvers on them. I think they got it right overall. And Kelly *does* look much smoother.
Taj probably should have won. He has a nice air (reverse), fins free hack and a barrell in response to Kelly’s.
Kelly just surfs with ease and has a smooth style. Taj is a bit fidgety, and it seemed to get worse as he got more frustrated with his results of each wave.
Kelly’s barrel was better. Kelly’s back up wave was better. Period.
Kelly’s barrel & maneuvers were much cleaner & more powerful than Taj’s and also less hopping thru to the inside than Taj. While Taj’s big, fins-free hack was radical, the time he spent recovering from it cost him an effective, powerful 2nd turn on that wave. A fair result, imho