Taj Burrow
Encyclopedia
Taj Burrow is an Australian professional surfer who is currently competing in this 14th year on the ASP World Tour.
to American parents and began surfing at age 7. In 1998 he qualified for the ASP World Tour at 18 years old, becoming the youngest surfer to do so at the time. Burrow had, in fact, already earnt a place on the world tour a year earlier, but he turned it down stating that, as a 17-year-old, he was "too young to do the tour full-on". After his first year on tour in 1998, he claimed the ASP World Tour Rookie of the Year award after finishing 12th place on the rankings. One year later he finished runner-up on the 1999 World Tour season rankings.
In 2007, Burrow won the Rip Curl Pro
at Bells Beach. He backed this up with a victory at the 2007 Billabong Pro in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa where he claimed the title over the then 8-time world champion, Kelly Slater
. This win helped to secure his 2nd place ranking on the ASP
Men's Tour, his second runner-up season placing.
In 2009, Burrow defeated Slater in the final of the Billabong Pipeline Masters
at the Banzai Pipeline
. In the same year he finished fourth place on the World Tour
In 2008–09 Globe released a shoe line named after Burrow.
Since 2005, Burrow has hosted the Taj Small Fries junior surfing competition at Yallingup.
Career
Burrow was born in Busselton, Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
to American parents and began surfing at age 7. In 1998 he qualified for the ASP World Tour at 18 years old, becoming the youngest surfer to do so at the time. Burrow had, in fact, already earnt a place on the world tour a year earlier, but he turned it down stating that, as a 17-year-old, he was "too young to do the tour full-on". After his first year on tour in 1998, he claimed the ASP World Tour Rookie of the Year award after finishing 12th place on the rankings. One year later he finished runner-up on the 1999 World Tour season rankings.
In 2007, Burrow won the Rip Curl Pro
Rip Curl Pro
Formerly the Bells Beach Surf Classic, The Rip Curl Pro is an ASP World Tour surfing competition held in and around Torquay, Victoria. The event is based at Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia...
at Bells Beach. He backed this up with a victory at the 2007 Billabong Pro in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa where he claimed the title over the then 8-time world champion, Kelly Slater
Kelly Slater
Robert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title...
. This win helped to secure his 2nd place ranking on the ASP
Association of Surfing Professionals
The Association of Surfing Professionals is the governing body for professional surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best talent in a variety of progressive formats.- Predecessors to the ASP :...
Men's Tour, his second runner-up season placing.
In 2009, Burrow defeated Slater in the final of the Billabong Pipeline Masters
Billabong Pipeline Masters
The Billabong Pipeline Masters is an event in surfing held annually at Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii. It was established in 1970 and attracts the top 45 surfers from the Association of Surfing Professionals as well as 16 surfers who compete in walk on trials. The surfers compete for a share of...
at the Banzai Pipeline
Banzai Pipeline
The Banzai Pipeline, or simply "Pipeline" or "Pipe," is a surf reef break located in Hawaii, off Ehukai Beach Park in Pupukea on O'ahu's North Shore. A reef break is an area in the ocean where waves start to break once they reach the shallows of a reef...
. In the same year he finished fourth place on the World Tour
ASP Tour Wins
| Year | Event | Venue | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Coke Surf Classic Manly | Manly Beach, Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... |
|
| 1999 | Rio Marathon Surf International | Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th... |
|
| 2001 | Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast | Gold Coast Gold Coast, Queensland Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous... |
|
| 2002 | Mundial Coca-Cola de Surf | Saquarema Saquarema Saquarema is a town and a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Its population was 61,591 and its area is 355 km². It is located almost 100 km east of Rio de Janeiro... |
|
| 2004 | Nova Schin Festival | Florianopolis Florianópolis -Climate:Florianópolis experiences a warm humid subtropical climate, falling just short of a true tropical climate. The seasons of the year are distinct, with a well-defined summer and winter, and characteristic weather for autumn and spring. Frost is infrequent, but occurs occasionally in the winter... |
|
| 2007 | Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay is an event on the ASP World Surfing Tour. The event is held every year at Jeffreys Bay in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Inaugural winner Kelly Slater has the most victories with 4.- Results :... |
Jeffreys Bay Jeffreys Bay Jeffreys Bay is a town located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town is situated just off the N2 Highway, about an hour's drive southwest of Port Elizabeth.- History :... |
|
| 2007 | Rip Curl Pro Rip Curl Pro Formerly the Bells Beach Surf Classic, The Rip Curl Pro is an ASP World Tour surfing competition held in and around Torquay, Victoria. The event is based at Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia... |
Bells Beach Bells Beach Bells Beach is a coastal locality of Victoria, Australia in Surf Coast Shire and a renowned surf beach, located 100 km south-west of Melbourne, on the Great Ocean Road near the towns of Torquay and Jan Juc.... |
|
| 2009 | Billabong Pipeline Masters Billabong Pipeline Masters The Billabong Pipeline Masters is an event in surfing held annually at Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii. It was established in 1970 and attracts the top 45 surfers from the Association of Surfing Professionals as well as 16 surfers who compete in walk on trials. The surfers compete for a share of... |
Banzai Pipeline Banzai Pipeline The Banzai Pipeline, or simply "Pipeline" or "Pipe," is a surf reef break located in Hawaii, off Ehukai Beach Park in Pupukea on O'ahu's North Shore. A reef break is an area in the ocean where waves start to break once they reach the shallows of a reef... |
 HawaiiHawaii Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of... |
| 2010 | Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast | Gold Coast Gold Coast, Queensland Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous... |
Other Projects
In 2003, Burrow released a book, Taj Burrow's Book of Hot Surfing and has also produced his own surf videos, Sabotaj (2000), Montaj (2002) and Taj Burrow's Fair Bits (2005).In 2008–09 Globe released a shoe line named after Burrow.
Since 2005, Burrow has hosted the Taj Small Fries junior surfing competition at Yallingup.