Machado’s Approach Ensures It <i> Does</i> Come Easy : Surfing: Cardiff competitor breezes into round of 16 in Bud Pro event at Oceanside.

It is only on rare occasions these days when Rob Machado’s name isn’t mentioned without having phrases like “pro surfing’s next superstar” or “future tour champion” attached.

And it is unusual that Machado, who is 18 and only one year out of high school, does not allow such accolades to tow him under.

Machado, who lives in Cardiff, appeared strikingly free in the one- to two-foot waves south of the Municipal Pier during his main-event heats Saturday in the $22,000 Nissan Open.

He seemed to find the peak of every good wave. His rides were not only charismatic, they appeared effortless. He slashed, darted and laid back.

His bottom turns and cutbacks were powerful and fast, and he took almost every ride to the sand--something you would expect of the second hottest competitor on the Bud Pro Surfing Tour.

Machado blew away the competition in his two heats, reaching today’s final day of surfing with the field pared to 16.

“There have been times when I was so stressed and paddling so hard, I couldn’t reach a wave,” said Machado, who has earned $10,925, the most of anybody through five events on the world-qualifying circuit.

“Now I go out there and let the waves come and surf them the best I can,” he added. “If you can just catch a wave and say to yourself, ‘OK, I’m just surfing . . . that was a good wave; that was fun . . .’ ”

Machado is having plenty of fun right now, and why shouldn’t he be? He has won the last two tour stops in Huntington Beach and Imperial Beach. Today he could become the first surfer to capture three consecutive tour contests, and he already has racked up 3,250 points, second highest on the tour.

Tour executive director Ian Cairns said 5,000 points probably would qualify Machado for a top-44 world ranking and a spot on the World Tour. That is Machado’s goal, and, it appears, his destiny. If he wins again today, he’ll have another 1,000 points.

His sponsors also are grooming him for the world circuit. Machado was flown to Isla Natividad, a remote island off the coast of Baja this week for a photo session riding giant waves.

Expectations are high for this former San Dieguito High student who has staked his future on surfing. So in order to avoid drowning from the pressure that comes with rising notoriety, Machado has decided simply to hit the water and let it flow.

“That’s my attitude,” he said. “The only way to deal with it is to forget about it and do my thing. I used to stress. I used to worry about having to catch too many waves in not enough time. You paddle around in circles and freak out.

“But if the waves don’t come, what are you going to do? Today some good waves came. It’s luck.”

Good fortune came the way of two other area competitors: Taylor Knox of Carlsbad, ranked eighth on the tour, and Doug Silva of La Costa, trying to make a comeback. Two other prominent area surfers--Mike Lambresi of Carlsbad, and Colin Smith of Cardiff--failed to qualify Saturday. Lambresi, the three-time tour champion, was disqualified for interfering with Australia’s Greg Anderson.

“This could be a turning point for me right now,” said Knox, 21, who survived two heats Saturday and is trying to crack the tour’s top five. “This morning I was panicking, because I couldn’t find a wave. This afternoon, I found a rhythm. I rode one good wave, paddled back out and there was another one.”

While Knox won easily over former San Diego State surfer Chris Billy (Dana Point), Silva and Anderson finished one and two in their afternoon heat to advance and shut out World pro Dino Andino (San Clemente), another former SDSU surfer.

Silva, currently 17th on the tour, was 10th last year when he suffered a ruptured appendix.

“The past four weeks I’ve been building momentum, setting goals and conquering them,” Silva said. “Right now, I just want to make good showings.”