text: Philip Andrew Irons (July 24, 1978November 2, 2010) was an American professional surfer. Irons began surfing with his brother Bruce on the shallow and dangerous waves of Kauai, Hawaii, before being spotted by a local surfboard brand and flown to North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, to compete and develop his skill.
  Over the course of his professional career, he won three world titles (2002, 2003, 2004), three Quiksilver Pro France titles (2003, 2004, 2005), two Rip Curl Pro Search titles (2006 and 2007), and 20 elite-tour victories, including the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing four times from 2002 to 2006. He won at nearly every venue on the ASP calendar, only missing Gold Coast, Brazil, and Portugal.
  Career
  His younger brother Bruce Irons is a former competitor on the World Championship Tour of Surfing. During his childhood, Andy regularly lost to Bruce in contests, but that changed once he entered the World Championship Tour. During his professional career, he won three world titles (2002, 2003, 2004), three Quiksilver Pro France titles (2003, 2004, 2005), two Rip Curl Pro Search titles (2006 and 2007) and 20 elite-tour victories, including the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing four times from 2002 to 2006. On September 3, 2010, he won the Billabong Pro Teahupoo in Tahiti.