While the ASP has certainly been blessed with luck as far as scoring waves recently, they have not been blessed with significant mathematical ability. As it turns out, Slater is still one heat win away from becoming the 2011 World Champion, and Owen Wright can technically take the crown. According to
a press release from the ASP (don’t worry, we double-checked their info this time) Owen can take the title from Slater if he wins the Search in San Francisco, and then continues on to win at Pipeline, all without Kelly making another heat. The odds aren’t exactly stacked in Owen’s favor, but perhaps stranger things have happened.
In the most epic possible scenario, according to the ASP press release, “If Kelly fails to advance out of another heat this season, and Owen wins in San Francisco and Pipeline, the two will tie at best of nine, eight, seven, etc. events, and the 2011 ASP World Title will be decided in a “Surf Off.”’ Sounds pretty theatrical, doesn’t it? Ocean Beach residents are currently trying to get the champagne out of the sand and back in the bottles, because it looks like this race is still at least one heat away from coming to an end.
