Surfing Finals to Be Held Minus Two Ex-Champions

Two former winners were eliminated from the $16,000 Katin Pro/Am Team Challenge surfing contest at Huntington Beach Saturday.

Willie Morris of Woodland Hills, last year’s winner, and Michael Ho of Hawaii, who won the event in 1980 and finished second last year, failed to qualify for today’s final rounds.

Each finished third in his heat, and only the top two surfers advanced.

Among the 16 surfers competing today are Shaun Tomson of South Africa and Martin Potter of the United Kingdom. They will meet in the second of four quarterfinal heats, which start at 7 a.m. on the north side of the pier.

Among the local surfers still in competition are Bud Llamas of Huntington Beach, Scott Daley of Malibu and Paul Barr and Phil Triebel, both from Carlsbad.

Of the 16 surfers remaining from the 180 who started the competition Wednesday, four are amateurs: Chris Wells, Marcel Sortos, Doug Silva and Dino Andino. They will compete for a separate trophy that goes to the top amateur.

Today, the 16 quarterfinalists will surf in groups of four in four separate heats. The top two from each quarterfinal heat advance to the semifinals, from which the top two advance to the final round and a chance at the $6,000 first prize. Prize money will be awarded to the top 10 surfers.

The waves, which broke in 4- to 6-foot sets Saturday, are expected to be the same size today.

An estimated 3,000 spectators, the largest crowd in the event’s 10-year history, watched Saturday’s surfing, which had to be stopped for nearly an hour because of fog.