Kaua'i's Andy Irons placed second in the Rip Curl Pro men's surfing contest today in Australia.

Irons advanced through three heats, but was then defeated by Australia's Taj Burrow in the one-on-one final.

The final day of the event was completed in 3- to 4-foot waves at Bells Beach, Australia.

Irons led for most of the 30-minute heat, but Burrow received a score of 9.0 (out of 10) in the final minute to seize the victory. In the final tally, Burrow's top two waves received a total score of 16.83 to Irons' 14.73.

"You never have it in the bag, especially in the final with guys like Taj," Irons said. "I knew there was another set coming in, I just wasn't sure if it was a good one. There were two waves in my set, but I don't think that I would have got a 9.0 on my wave. I think he surfed good and smart in the end, so he nailed it."

Burrow received $30,000 for the victory and moved into a tie with Australian Mick Fanning for No. 1 in the overall rankings of the 2007 World Championship Tour. Irons received $18,000 and is ranked No. 9.

The contest was the second of 10 events on the 2007 tour.

Irons was the only Hawai'i surfer to advance to the quarterfinals. Two others — Bruce Irons and Fred Patacchia Jr. — were eliminated in the fourth round.