SURFING : Garcia Comes Away With Title

Hawaii’s Sunny Garcia traced his motivation for winning the Op Pro surfing championships to April 15. Tax day.

“The day I became more focused on winning was the day I found out I owed back taxes,” said Garcia, who won his first Op Pro Saturday at the Huntington Beach Pier.

“I still owe taxes to the IRS. And I have a wife, two kids and another on the way.”

Garcia made a dent in his debt, taking home $8,000 for winning the $87,000 world qualifying event in five- to six-foot waves.

A crowd estimated at 20,000 watched Garcia capitalize on two big waves and win with 30.27 points. Trialist Jojo De Olivenca from Brazil was second at 27.43, followed by San Clemente’s Shane Beschen (25.63) and two-time Op champion Barton Lynch of Australia (21.93).

Garcia, of Makaha, Hawaii, added another $2,000 to his winnings later in the day, leading Hawaii to an 89.1 to 84.11 victory over Australia in the tag-team final.

Kim Mearig of Santa Barbara ended a two-year retirement to win her second Op title, edging five-time Op champion Frieda Zamba of Flagler Beach, Fla., 27.27 to 26.7. Mearig, who also won the Op in 1983, earned $3,000 for the victory.