The best professional wakeboarders from around the globe hit the waters of Volunteer Landing this past weekend in the final stop of the 2011 MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour.
    
This year twice as much was on the line for riders in Knoxville, as the Pro Tour finale also doubled as the final contest in the eight-event King of Wake and Queen of Wake series. At the event were the two Red Bull Pro riders, JD Webb and Adam Errington, who, earlier in the week, had taken the UT wakeboard team out onto the river for a personal training session.
    
Coming into the contest, Webb said the competition had hit a real peak for the final stop of the series.
   
 “This weekend Phil Soven and Rusty Milinoski have ridden really well, and Adam has killed it for Red Bull making it to the final six,” Webb said.
    
The Pro Men’s division was the highlight of the event, with professional Harley Clifford and top seed Phillip Soven fighting it out, as the top two contenders for both the Pro Tour title and the King of Wake crown.
    
Soven, 22, of Longwood, Fla., entered today’s contest with a 45-point lead over Clifford in the Pro Tour standings and was fast to secure the 2011 Pro Tour title after winning his semifinal heat.
    
While Soven had a considerable lead in the Pro Tour standings, the defending King of Wake champion was only ahead of Clifford by a mere 10 points in the King of Wake series and needed a win to keep his crown. However, Soven failed to top the podium.
   
 Webb was stunned that Soven hadn’t rounded out an excellent weekend by taking King of Wake, after falling onto the rail on his final run.
   
 “I can’t believe Phil just dropped the ball like that. He’s had such an excellent weekend it’s a shame it ended like that,” Webb said. “But, you know, great effort from all the guys who made the finals.”
   
 In the finals, Soven launched an arsenal of technical and big-air tricks, including a massive Whirly 720, Crow Mobe 540 and a Toe-side 900. But Clifford’s Blind Pete Rose, Front Mobe 540 and a Toe-side 900 helped him beat Soven 85.00 to 80.00 to win his first-ever King of Wake crown.
    
Red Bull Pro Errington was happy to make the final six and is looking forward to a well deserved rest.
    
“It feels great to make the final six on the last stop,” Errington said. “I’ve been feeling good today. I’ve ridden six times so feeling a little tired. I didn’t ride the best wake of my life at times but still, it feels great to be here and be able to put on a show with these guys.”
    
Clifford, Soven and Rusty Malinoski ended up as the top three in the King of Wake series.
    
Errington had nothing but compliments for the guys who made the top three, giving special mention to Series champion Soven and eventual King of Wake Clifford.
   
 “It’s been great watching these guys compete with each other today,” Errrington said. “Phil and Harley have really killed it this weekend and all year in fact, so it’s been a pleasure to watch them.”
    
The Pro Women’s division hosted its last round of action in the Queen of Wake series, as six finalists battled it out for the final win of the season. Top seed Amber Wing failed to advance to the finals, which left many fans wondering who would come out on top in Knoxville.
    
World Cup titlist Raimi Merritt won the contest, pulling off big tricks like an S Bend, Tootsie Roll and two 540 variations to post the winning score of 78.33.
    
This win marks Merritt’s first-ever Pro Tour stop victory.
    
Melissa Marquardt and Nicola Butler rounded out the Knoxville podium, respectively.
   
 Despite missing the Pro Women finals, Aussie Amber Wing finished first place overall in the 2011 series to claim her first-ever Queen of Wake crown.
   
 In the Jr. Pro Men’s division, young gun Mike Dowdy made his Pro Tour finals debut against Kyle Evans, Daniel Powers and current points leader Shota Tezuka.
    
All four Jr. Pro Men finalists threw down impressive runs, but Power’s Heel-side 540 off the double up lifted the 2011 Masters champion to his fourth straight Pro Tour stop victory.
    
Shota Tezuka and Mike Dowdy came second and third, respectively.
    
Despite finishing in second place in Knoxville, Tezuka edged out Powers by seven points in the overall standings to capture his first-ever Jr. Pro Tour title.
    
Tezuka is the first Japanese-born rider to win the Jr. Pro Tour title.
    
The event was a great success and provided a great day out down by the river.
    
Now the riders, such as Errington and Webb, can take a deserved break and hopefully come back stronger next year for some more killer wake down at Volunteer Landing.
    
The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour stop in Knoxville will air on the VERSUS television network on Oct. 4 at 5:30 p.m. ET.