In a shocking surprise to no one Florence is champ for the first time. One of the first questions he gets is " Are you setting a goal of getting a 12 on your jersey?'. The kid wins his first title and already the pressure is on to break Slater's mark...just let him enjoy the win for a minute.
As is most of OG. He was in NJ when he was probably about 12-13 years old for a visit with his Mom and brothers. Not sure if he has been back since. Best surfer I've ever seen surf NJ waves. No one even comes close, including any NJ local "pro".
NY Times write up: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/s...nches-his-first-world-surfing-title.html?_r=1