2001 Pro Tour Stop #3 - Detroit, Michigan

Brighton, MI - The Shaun Murray of old returned to claim the U.S. Pro Wakeboard Tour's Detroit Stop at Island Lake State Park.

Murray took the Men's Wakeboard Final on Sunday, riding behind the Indmar Marine Engine powered MasterCraft X Star, in his first Pro Tour victory in over a year.

Leaving the dock early in the Final, Murray went out and stomped a clean run then let the rest of the field come to him. One by one, Brett Eisenhauer, Zane Schwenk and Parks Bonifay all tried to knock Murray from the top spot, but no one succeeded.

Eisenhauer was the closest to Murray finishing in second just a bit behind Murray. For Eisenhauer, Detroit marks his second shot at the podium in 2001. Eisenhauer finished second at the Norelco Open, the first event of 2001.

But, the day belonged to Murray who hasn't had the best season on the Pro Tour in 2001. Murray even missed qualifying at the Norelco Open, but the win in Detroit made all that go away.

Both Eisenhauer and Bonifay had a chance to catch Murray, leaving the dock after him, but Bonifay's run had a few more miscues than Murray's who rode cleanly.

Murray becomes the first rider to win on the Pro Tour in 2001 other than Darin Shapiro who finished an uncharacteristic eighth in the final. Shapiro was the second rider off the dock in the final round, and a few falls hurt his chances, leaving the door open for the rest of the field. Murray followed Shapiro off the dock, and took full advantage of the situation.

In the Sea Doo Slider X competition it was Bonifay who shined blowing away the rest of the field with the best tricks behind a Sea Doo. In this event Murray got his stellar day started, finishing second behind Bonifay before getting ready for the men's final.

Men Wakeboard Finals

1. Shaun Murray (USA) - 64.33
2. Brett Eisenhauer (AUS) - 62.11
3. Parks Bonifay (USA) - 57.11
4. Zane Schwenk (USA) - 55.00
5. Chris Law (USA) - 49.00
6. Josh Sanders (AUS) - 48.33
7. Erik Ruck (USA) - 45.00
8. Darin Shapiro (USA) - 42.11

Men Wakeboard Semifinals (top four in each heat advance to finals)

Heat # 1
1. Parks Bonifay (USA) - 68.33
2. Chris Law (USA) - 59.11
3. Shaun Murray (USA) - 47.11
4. Erik Ruck (USA) - 46.11
5. Chad Sharpe (CAN) - 44.44
6. Justin Evans (USA) - 42.36

Heat # 2
1. Josh Sanders (AUS) - 64.00
2. Zane Schwenk (USA) - 63.50
3. Brett Eisenhauer (AUS) - 63.33
4. Darin Shapiro (USA) - 59.78
5. Randall Harris (USA) - 52.00
6. Shane Bonifay (USA) - 49.78

Sea-Doo Slider X
1. Parks Bonifay (USA) - 56.3
2. Shaun Murray (USA) - 34.0
3. Chap Sharpe (CAN) - 27.5
4. Erik Ruck (USA) - 12.0