Andy Irons

Surfing champion Andy Irons, who died at the age of 32 in a Dallas hotel room in November, had a heart attack caused by the hardening of his coronary arteries, his family said in a press release. Drugs contributed to the death, a Texas medical examiner determined. Irons had withdrawn from an event in 2010 amid concerns that he and others on the tour contracted dengue fever. He was returning home to Hawaii when he was found dead in an airport hotel while on a layover in Dallas.

Surfing champion Andy Irons, who died at the age of 32 in a Dallas hotel room in November, had a heart attack caused by the hardening of his coronary arteries, his family said in a press release. Drugs contributed to the death, a Texas medical examiner determined. Irons had withdrawn from an event in 2010 amid concerns that he and others on the tour contracted dengue fever. He was returning home to Hawaii when he was found dead in an airport hotel while on a layover in Dallas.

The U.S. Open of Surfing, the world's largest professional surfing competition, begins its nine-day run Saturday in Huntington Beach, where top surfers will compete for a piece of the $350,000 purse, including the $100,000 first prize in the men's division. Huntington Beach native Brett Simpson, who last year became the first Surf City USA native to win the Open, is back. He faces heavyweights Mick Fanning ( Australia), Taj Burrow (Australia), Andy Irons ( Hawaii), C.J. Hobgood ( Florida)

Andy Irons, a renowned surfer and three-time world champion from Hawaii, died Tuesday from complications from an undisclosed illness, the Assn. of Surfing Professionals International said. He was 32. Irons had withdrawn from an ASP World Tour event in Puerto Rico, the Rip Curl Search, over the weekend due to the illness and died "during a layover en route to his home in Kauai, Hawaii," according to an Irons family statement released by the ASP. The statement did not list the exact location or cause of death, but the Associated Press reported that his father, Phil Irons, confirmed the surfer's death.

Andy Irons managed to avoid the great white sharks loitering less than two miles away. He also plucked a 9.17 score out of the small, uncooperative surf Saturday morning at the Boost Mobile Pro. But Irons couldn't slip past one final combatant -- his younger brother. The defending world champion was knocked out of the competition by Bruce Irons, four years younger but 0.33 points better than his brother in a head-to-head duel Saturday in the third round at Lower Trestles in San Clemente.

On his last wave of the day, Andy Irons picked up enough points to win the Xbox Pipeline Masters on Friday, enabling him to hold off Kelly Slater and win the Assn. of Surfing Professionals world championship for the second consecutive year. "I was a ball of nerves the whole day, it was so emotional," Irons said after the final. "I started getting really bad cramps and I broke a couple of boards. I didn't think it would come out this way, but this is a dream come true."

At 8 this morning, the horn will sound at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, signaling the start of the Boost Mobile Pro, the only Assn. of Surfing Professionals' World Championship Tour event held on the U.S. mainland. The world's top 44 surfers and four wild-card entries will vie for $250,000 in prize money, with $30,000 going to the winner.

The Boost Mobile Pro Presented by Billabong, the only Assn. of Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour event being held this year on the U.S. mainland, will begin Thursday at Lower Trestles near San Clemente. The contest will be run over five days, with Saturday being a lay day. Organizers had anticipated a Sunday start but moved the dates up to take advantage of large waves already being generated by Hurricane Hernan off Baja California.

Andy Irons, a renowned surfer and three-time world champion from Hawaii, died Tuesday from complications from an undisclosed illness, the Assn. of Surfing Professionals International said. He was 32. Irons had withdrawn from an ASP World Tour event in Puerto Rico, the Rip Curl Search, over the weekend due to the illness and died "during a layover en route to his home in Kauai, Hawaii," according to an Irons family statement released by the ASP. The statement did not list the exact location or cause of death, but the Associated Press reported that his father, Phil Irons, confirmed the surfer's death.

The city block-sized area just south of the Huntington Beach Pier on Friday finally looked like the staging area for a major surf contest. After five days of small waves and mostly unrecognizable contestants, the list of the competitors for the Honda Element U.S. Open of Surfing became familiar to the throngs of spectators, and the waves grew in stature as well. Add in a blue sky and the beginning of the event's spinoff activities and it was an aesthetic day at the beach.

The U.S. Open of Surfing, the world's largest professional surfing competition, begins its nine-day run Saturday in Huntington Beach, where top surfers will compete for a piece of the $350,000 purse, including the $100,000 first prize in the men's division. Huntington Beach native Brett Simpson, who last year became the first Surf City USA native to win the Open, is back. He faces heavyweights Mick Fanning ( Australia), Taj Burrow (Australia), Andy Irons ( Hawaii), C.J. Hobgood ( Florida)

With the biggest waves of summer came surfing's biggest stars, and none more luminous than Kelly Slater, a six-time world champion from Cocoa Beach, Fla., who is leading the tour in search of an unprecedented seventh title. Right behind him is Andy Irons, the reigning and three-time world champion from Kauai, hoping to gain on his rival as the World Championship Tour heads deeper into its home stretch.

On his last wave of the day, Andy Irons picked up enough points to win the Xbox Pipeline Masters on Friday, enabling him to hold off Kelly Slater and win the Assn. of Surfing Professionals world championship for the second consecutive year. "I was a ball of nerves the whole day, it was so emotional," Irons said after the final. "I started getting really bad cramps and I broke a couple of boards. I didn't think it would come out this way, but this is a dream come true."

When Andy Irons won the Quiksilver Pro six weeks ago in France, he seemed well on his way to a second consecutive world championship, having built a substantial points lead over his nearest competitor. He also seemed well on his way to becoming the most dominant pro surfer since Kelly Slater, winner of six world titles. Irons wouldn't hear any such talk, though, and was quick to point out that his nearest competitor was, and remains, the most dominant surfer of them all: Slater.

Andy Irons managed to avoid the great white sharks loitering less than two miles away. He also plucked a 9.17 score out of the small, uncooperative surf Saturday morning at the Boost Mobile Pro. But Irons couldn't slip past one final combatant -- his younger brother. The defending world champion was knocked out of the competition by Bruce Irons, four years younger but 0.33 points better than his brother in a head-to-head duel Saturday in the third round at Lower Trestles in San Clemente.

At 8 this morning, the horn will sound at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, signaling the start of the Boost Mobile Pro, the only Assn. of Surfing Professionals' World Championship Tour event held on the U.S. mainland. The world's top 44 surfers and four wild-card entries will vie for $250,000 in prize money, with $30,000 going to the winner.

Hawaiian Andy Irons followed up his U.S. Open of Surfing victory last week with a victory in the Op Pro on Sunday in front of an announced crowd of 35,000 at Huntington Beach. Irons, who just turned 20 last week, built from the momentum of last week's win to advance through his six heats where he eventually faced Michael Campbell of Australia in the afternoon final. Irons' back-to-back victories are a first in the men's competition. "The U.S.

Andy Irons' heart beats faster whenever he surfs in front of large crowds. So when the Hawaiian surfer paddled out for the championship final of the men's open division of the U.S. Open of Surfing Sunday, his heart was pounding like a drum solo. In front of an announced crowd of 35,000, Irons won the event on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier. "I absolutely do better when I surf in front of big crowds," Irons said. "It makes me want to surf better.

The city block-sized area just south of the Huntington Beach Pier on Friday finally looked like the staging area for a major surf contest. After five days of small waves and mostly unrecognizable contestants, the list of the competitors for the Honda Element U.S. Open of Surfing became familiar to the throngs of spectators, and the waves grew in stature as well. Add in a blue sky and the beginning of the event's spinoff activities and it was an aesthetic day at the beach.

The Boost Mobile Pro Presented by Billabong, the only Assn. of Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour event being held this year on the U.S. mainland, will begin Thursday at Lower Trestles near San Clemente. The contest will be run over five days, with Saturday being a lay day. Organizers had anticipated a Sunday start but moved the dates up to take advantage of large waves already being generated by Hurricane Hernan off Baja California.