Burrow earns a break

Fresh from securing a top-four finish in the ASP World Title rankings, Taj Burrow is back in Yallingup for a well-earned break.

Last week, Burrow fell short of defending his title at the Billabong Pipe Masters in Oahu, Hawaii, knocked out by eventual winner Jeremy Flores in round five.

A near-perfect 9.10 wave was not enough to defeat the Frenchman, who advanced with scores of 9.97 and 6.63.

In an interview with the Times, Burrow reflected on a year that saw him finish fourth behind Kelly Slater, Jordy Smith and Mick Fanning.

“I had some up and downs, but I’m really happy,” Burrow said.

“It happens to everyone every year. Sometimes the waves don’t come. There’s a huge luck factor in the sport.”

Burrow said his highlight for the year was winning the first event of the season, the Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast.

“It was [also] pretty fun in Puerto Rico. I had a 10-point ride in the quarter finals against Dane Reynolds,” he said.

“It’s hard to get a 10 these days.”

The 32-year-old said his lowlight for the year was a contest in Tahiti where he felt he was surfing well, but the judges were against him.

After five months on the road, Burrow said he was looking forward to spending some time in Yallingup before the tour kicked off again in February.

“It will be excellent to put my feet up for a while,” he said.

Burrow said his new year resolution was to attempt something he had never done before, every day of January.

“It could be something small or it could be something like skydiving,” he said.

As for next year Burrow’s aim was to have some fun and to try to win some contests.