With a healthy northwest swell in the water, it didn't take long for Backdoor to start firing up during finals day at the Billabong Pipe Masters. It was in those ideal conditions that a few unlikely faces emerged from a pack of Pipe favorites.
Rookie Kanoa Igarashi, for one, created some serious noise when he sealed Zeke Lau's elite Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour (CT) destiny earlier in the day. But it was the quiet rise of Michel Bourez that proved lethal in the Final. The Tahitian's tack-sharp surfing took Igarashi down in the end for a well-deserved Pipe Masters victory. John John Florence also added another highlight to his historic year when he claimed his third Triple Crown title. The WSL desk broke down all the heavy battles that capped off the 2016 CT season.