A frothing Taj Burrow is hoisted above the shoulders of some of his closest supporters as they march him to the winner's podium past the media and applauding South African fans all who were there to witness another spectacular event at the fifth stop of the Foster's ASP World Tour at Jeffreys Bay, South Africa.

In what may go down to be the most dramatic season to date, Burrow has secured his second win this year and second place in the ratings behind fellow Australian Mick Fanning.

"It feels amazing," said Burrow. "I'm so stoked to have won two events. I've had so many bridesmaids over the last couple of years, and to get this monkey off my back, it just feels really good."

Burrow would probably credit the wins to his dedication to fitness training or the fact he is the only World Tour surfer riding new "Firewire" surfboard technology.

I believe the drive to win with Burrow, as well as the other tour leaders, goes much deeper than that.

They wouldn't admit if you asked them, but it would be icing on the cake if title contenders like Burrow, Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson, Andy Irons and Damien Hobgood could not only win the tour, but do it against current eight-time world champion Kelly Slater. Only two other world champions, Hawaii's Derek Ho and Andy Irons, have been able to say they have won the title in a year contested by the 35-year-old Slater of Florida.

So if winning over Slater has been one of the many driving influences for the world's best surfers, what is the motivator for Slater to compete at a world-class level?

The answer may lie in the quest for the 34th elite tour victory, "Curren's curse."

Slater and three-time world champion Tom Curren are tied with 33 elite tour victories and the record is the last prestigious statistic not held by Slater. In April of this year at Bells Beach, Curren was supportive when asked about the possibility of Slater achieving the record.

"I want to see him do well," said Curren. "It's inevitable that he's going to do that (break the record) whether it's this event or next year. I've had a really good career and I'm very satisfied with what I was able to do. He's done so much more and to be actually on a level with him in terms of events won is kind of surprising."

Ironically, Slater has not won an event since the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach in 2006, but a second-place finish at Jeffrey's Bay and fourth place in the overall rankings has Slater back in contention for a ninth world title.

Slater had a chance to capture the 34-win record when he made it to the final in this event against Burrow, but a combination of being physically tired and quite possibly the legend of Curren's curse allowed Burrow to take his second victory of the year. Slater, who won the event in 1996, 2003 and 2005, peaked in the quarterfinals when he scored 19.23 out of 20 points — the highest heat total of the event.

"It's a little bit frustrating, but I have had a number of finals go my way, too," said Slater. "I think I've won four out of five finals I have been in, in the past, and now I have only won one out of the last five, or two out of the last six. That's a little frustrating, but I guess it is something for people to talk about. If I let it get to me, it'll put a little pressure on me, but sometimes that's the thing to get you going. I was thinking in the water, Maybe this second will bring me to life, more than winning would.' This will probably get me a bit more motivated for the next one."

Slater has five more chances this year to break "Curren's Curse," but it may prove to be the most elusive accomplishment of his professional career. More than a few contenders look to keep the curse alive.

Australian Mick Fanning has been in perfect form and has not placed lower than third this year. Fanning is the man and shows no signs of slowing up. Irons did not finish as well as he would have liked to at Jeffreys Bay, but he is gaining momentum and currently sits third overall with a second at Bell's Beach and a win in Chile. Australia's Joel Parkinson has been Mr. Consistent and is currently in fifth place. A couple of good results for Parko could put him on top of the leaderboard. Current No. 6, Damien Hobgood, is a serious contender, but a chipped knee at Chile made things difficult for Hobgood at Jeffreys Bay.

Slater's best chance to capture the record will be this year. A new wind is in the air and superstars like Dane Reynolds and Jordy Smith will make things that much more difficult when they qualify this year for the 2008 Foster's ASP World Tour. I spoke with Smith about his thoughts of Slater competing another year. I think he summed up the feelings of every World Tour surfer.

"Yeah, I think it would be great if he stayed on tour because he is the best surfer in the world," said Smith, "and if you want to be the best you have to beat the best."

If you ask any Slater fan, he will tell you that Curren's curse will be broken, but I have mixed feelings about the whole affair. On one hand, I would be happy for the current world champion, who will go down in history as one of the greatest surfers of all time. On the other hand, I'd be a little sad that my hero, Tom Curren's record was broken. Equally as sad, the breaking of the curse may also lead to the retirement of Slater and the passing of the "Momentum" era. Surfing fans can only wait for the drama to unfold as the tour gets ready to make its sixth stop at the Boost Mobile Pro presented by Hurley at Trestles in San Clemente.

— If you have any information regarding the local surfing scene, e-mail David Burroughs at runemason@yahoo.com. The Surfing Scene appears Tuesdays in The Star.