Taj began his surfing days in southwest Western Australia at the age of 7. What the Yallingup area lacked in population it certainly made up for in a plethora of ledges, deadly points and powerful beach breaks. With these kind of surroundings and raised as an only child by parents Nancy and Vance, Taj and surfing meshed together well. He pulled on his first contest singlet aged 12 and after only two years he took out the under-18?s division of a local contest and didn't look back.
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more »Taj began his surfing days in southwest Western Australia at the age of 7. What the Yallingup area lacked in population it certainly made up for in a plethora of ledges, deadly points and powerful beach breaks. With these kind of surroundings and raised as an only child by parents Nancy and Vance, Taj and surfing meshed together well. He pulled on his first contest singlet aged 12 and after only two years he took out the under-18?s division of a local contest and didn't look back.
While some surfers battle the hard 'QS slog for years Taj qualified for the World Tour ranks on his debut attempt at 18, becoming the youngest surfer to do so at the time. He then stunned the surfing world by declining his spot to mature a little as a surfer so he could be "a genuine world title contender". Taj knew he would be back, and a year later he was. In his first year on tour TB took out the 1998 Rookie of the Year award. In 1999 he finished second behind Occy and used his runner-up trophy as a fruit bowl - second simply won't do.
2009 was a rollercoaster year for Taj Burrow, despite consistently reaching the quarterfinal and semi final stages he failed to post an event win leading into the Billabong Pipeline Masters in Hawaii.Cruising through the Pipe Masters draw to meet Kelly Slater in the final. With revenge on his mind he took the win, the biggest of his career and a spot in the history books. His win saw him finish in 4th on the year end ratings.
With 2010 being Taj's 12th year on tour, he kicked it off with a massive bang taking out the prestigious ASP Quiksilver Pro at Snapper Rocks in his home country. A couple of weeks prior, Taj also won the Burleigh Breaker Pro, which including Pipeline, made it three wins on the trot for TB, a hot streak no doubt. Taj then went on to come runnerup in the 6-star Prime QS in his neighbouring town of Margaret River. Currently ranked 4th, Taj is a dominant force to watch out for on tour this year.
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