SURF BOUT V AT LOWER TRESTLES : Beschen Finishes First by Catching Last Wave

Shane Beschen used the home surf advantage Sunday at Lower Trestles.

With a partisan crowd cheering for the 20-year-old from nearby San Clemente, Beschen came from behind to overtake Chris Brown of Santa Barbara in the main event final of the $20,000 Body Glove Surf Bout V.

Beschen won $6,000 for first place and moved up to No. 2 in the Bud Surf Tour rankings. Brown, who has earned $9,000 in three events this season, won $2,250 for second place and remained top-ranked.

Richie Collins of Newport Beach finished third and won $1,300, and Todd Holland of Cocoa Beach, Fla., finished fourth and won $1,250.

Beschen needed a last-minute comeback to win in the finals, and caught his final wave with about one minute remaining in the 30-minute final.

“No one likes to wait until the last minute like that,” Beschen said. “A lot of luck’s involved . . . I thought I blew it after I fell earlier in the final, but at the end I caught that one last wave. It’s nice coming home to surf.”

Besides beating Brown, Beschen also had to overtake Collins, who is regarded as one of the best U.S. surfers on the world tour. Collins is ranked among the top five on the world tour.

Collins finished second to Beschen in their semifinal heat, but both qualified for the finals. But Collins had other things besides surfing on his mind.

“I had to lie down to rest my back after the semifinals,” Collins said. “I was surprised to make the finals because my back was irritating me so much. I couldn’t perform the way I wanted to.”

Todd Miller of Costa Mesa, who entered the event ranked third on the Bud Surf Tour, reached the semifinals before being eliminated by Holland and Brown.

Ben Severson of Wahiawa, Hawaii, won his third consecutive bodyboarding title and $1,000.

Severson won the bodyboarding division at the Santa Cruz and Pismo Beach events earlier this season, and bested fellow Hawaiians Mike Stewart, who finished second, and Chris Tennberg, who was third.

Jay Reale of San Clemente, who also does color commentary for Prime Ticket’s telecasts of the Bud Surf Tour, finished fourth.