Barton Lynch
Barton Lynch is an Australian former professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. In 1988, he was crowned ASP World Tour Champion. He also won the 1991 Rip Curl Pro. In 1998, he was inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame, and in 2000, he was inducted into the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame. The video game Barton Lynch Pro Surfing is named after Lynch.
Life and career
Lynch was born in Manly, New South Wales on 9 August 1963 and was raised in the nearby Sydney suburb of Whale Beach. The son of a policeman, he started surfing when he was 8 years old. He quickly mastered the tricky, powerful sandbars, which proved to be a training ground for the world stage; the same waves nourished the talents of Stuart Entwistle, Layne Beachley and Pam Burridge.Lynch emerged from the beach break of Manly with a flexible and gymnastic style and unflappable competitive drive that helped him to a successful junior career, including victories in the Pro Junior, the JJJ Junior and the ASPA ratings. He refined his competitive act into a fluid routine of vertical maneuvers that brought him immediate success on the ASP World Tour. He spent 13 consecutive years in the top 16, earning a reputation as a brilliant tactical competitor as well as a forthright and articulate spokesman for the sport. His greatest competitive moment came in Hawaii, where he won both the 1988 Billabong Pro and the 1988 ASP World Tour title.
Over the course of his 15-year pro career, Lynch would place in the top 4 a total of 8 times, win 17 world tour events. In 1993, Lynch won the highly competitive ranks of the World Qualifying Series Tour, and in 1995, at the age of 32 won the Rio Surf Pro. Lynch remained competitive until his retirement in 1998.