Fort Worth, TX – With the first two events of the 2005 MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour in the books, it looks like the season could come down to two riders: Phillip Soven and Danny Harf. Saturday at Marine Creek in Fort Worth, Texas it was Harf's time to shine, claming the second stop of the 2005 MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour presented by Nissan North America.
Soven had already taken the first event in Orlando on May 1, and he tried to make it two in a row, but he was unable to make it out of the final four, being eliminated by Andrew Adkison. Adkison then went on to face Harf in the head-to-head finals.
The event in Fort Worth marks the second time the Pro Wakeboard Tour has employed its new head-to-head format for the finals where the Pro Tour takes the final eight riders and puts them into a single-elimination bracket system where the final champion must beat three riders head-to-head to win the championship.
The victory for Harf was his first Pro Wakeboard Tour victory since winning the opening event of the season in 2004. Many think that if it's not Soven on the top of the podium it will probably be Harf in 2005.
"If either Danny (Harf) or Phillip (Soven) hit all of their tricks, they are almost impossible to beat," said Daniel Watkins who reached the final four in Fort Worth before being eliminated by Harf. "It's probably going to be their show this year. They look like the two most talented guys on tour."
With defending Pro Tour Season Champion Parks Bonifay still competing but nursing a knee injury, someone else will have to step up to knock either Harf or Soven out of the top spot.
In the SeaDoo watercraft Pro Wakeskate Series 2004 Series Champion Phillip Basino picked up his first victory in 2005, edging out 2003 Series Champion Brian Grubb in the head-to-head final.
In the MasterCraft Junior X Series, 2004 Junior Men's World Champion Aaron Rathy earned his first-ever Junior X victory. Rathy was joined on the podium by Austin Hair and Phillips Combs who finished second and third respectively.
The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour is a five-event circuit organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Florida. Powered by Indmar Marine Engines, the Pro Tour has the support of the following: SeaDoo watercraft, Verizon Wireless, Nissan North America, Perfect Pass, Hyperlite, Infinity Marine Audio, Toyo Tires, KMC Wheels, Liquid Force, Gator Boards, CWB, J - Star, O'Brien, Double-up, Billabong, Oakley, Reef, Body Glove, UGP, Epiphone Guitars, , buywake.com, Love Sac, Capix Helmets, Indo Boards, Execute, Mikker.com, Wakeworld.com, Wakeboarder.com, Monster Towers, Say I Won't, Ten-80 and One Percent Design.
Wake Boarding, published by World Publications, is the official magazine of the Pro Wakeboard Tour. Wake Boarding is the definitive source on all things wakeboarding, with expert coverage of professional instruction, gear, boats and the latest news.
Pro Men's Final Placings
1st – Danny Harf
2nd – Andrew Adkison
3rd – Philip Soven
4th – Daniel Watkins
5th – Josh Sanders
6th – Chad Sharpe
7th – Tino Santori
8th – Brian Francis
Final Heat
Danny Harf 100 d. Andrew Adkison 90
Final Four
Danny Harf 100 d. Daniel Watkins 90
Andrew Adkison 100 d. Phillip Soven 90
Elite Eight
Daniel Watkins 95.50 d. Chad Sharpe 94.50
Danny Harf 95.50 d. Josh Sanders 94.50
Andrew Adkison 97.50 d. Tino Santori 92.50
Phillip Soven 100 d. Brian Francis 90
Wakeskate
Head-to-Head Finals
Phillip Basino 82 d. Brian Grubb 73.33
Brandon Thomas and Collin Wright tied for 3rd
George Daniels and Scott Byerly tied for 5th.
Tim Kovacich and Joshua Steele tied for 7th
Ryan Doyle 9th
Pro Men's Semi Finals Heat 01
1 Tino Santori USA 96.00
2 Andrew Adkison USA 94.00
3 Dean Smith AUS 76.00
4 Trevor Hansen USA 74.00
Pro Men's Semi Finals Heat 02
1 Chad Sharpe CDN 91.50
2 Danny Harf USA 86.50
3 Rusty Malinoski CDN 83.50
4 Kevin Henshaw CDN 78.50
Pro Men's Semi Finals Heat 03
1 Josh Sanders AUS 100.00
2 Brian Francis USA 85.00
3 Keith Lidberg USA 81.00
4 Brett Eisenhauer AUS 74.00
Pro Men's Semi Finals Heat 04
1 Phillip Soven USA 100.00
2 Daniel Watkins AUS 90.00
3 Erik Ruck USA 77.50
4 Derek Grasman USA 72.50
Pro WakeSkate - Semi Finals Heat 01
1 Phillip Basino USA 78.33
2 Collin Wright USA 47.33
3 George Daniels USA 46.00
4 Tim Kovacich USA 35.33
Pro WakeSkate - Semi Finals Heat 02
1 Brian Grubb USA 82.67
2 Brandon Thomas USA 66.67
3 Scott Byerly USA 57.33
4 Joshua Steele USA 54.33
5 Ryan Doyle 28.33
