Patient Garcia Is Rewarded With Key Wave Just in Time

Sunny Garcia has made some major changes this year, but his affection for the Huntington Beach surf has remained the same.

“I like Huntington Beach a lot,” said Garcia, who remarried and moved to Del Mar from Honolulu five months ago. “With the people and the pier right there, it could be the worse conditions anywhere on the tour and it’s still fun. I have a good time here.”

Garcia, 29, survived to surf another day in the main draw at the Shockwave U.S. Open of Surfing after a late comeback in the second round Friday. With about six minutes remaining in his 20-minute, four-man heat, which also included former world champion Tom Curren, Garcia was in last place after accumulating just one point.

But Garcia scored consecutive 5.0 rides, then took off on a shoulder-high left-hander with about three minutes left and nailed several maneuvers before shooting the pier. The judges awarded him 8.0 points, which moved him into second place and knocked Curren out of the final qualifying spot.

“That wave came just in time,” Garcia said. “I just got lucky with it.”

Garcia, who is currently seventh in the World Championship Tour rankings, would like to have seen Curren advance into today’s third round as well, but knows his part-time status on the tour is a handicap.

“I’d like to see Tom get back into it, if he really wants to,” Garcia said. “Tom’s a God in surfing. He is the best surfer that I have ever seen. If he ever got back into it full time, there is no question he would be right back on top.”

Ventura’s Keith Malloy won the heat, benefiting from the highest wave score of the day (8.50). Malloy is one of a handful of World Qualifying Series competitors who remain in contention for the lone wild card into next week’s Gotcha Pro, a WCT event.

The day’s closest heat featured Laguna Niguel’s Pat O’Connell against Brazilian Guilherme Herdy and Australians Trent Munro and Mick Leslie, who were separated by 2.95 points. O’Connell scored a 5.30 ride in the closing minutes to edge Munro for the final qualifying spot. Herdy, who was one of eight Brazilians to advance to the third round, won the heat by 1.30 points over O’Connell.

“I was riding a new board so I was just trying to get my feet relaxed at first,” O’Connell said. “But then as time went by I said, ‘OK buddy, it’s time to start surfing.’ ”

O’Connell said he was in a similar position during an event at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa earlier this month, but wiped out trying a risky maneuver in the closing minutes and didn’t advance.

“I told myself I wasn’t going to do that again,” O’Connell said.

Ryan Simmons of Seal Beach also kept his hopes alive for a wild card next weekend after ousting WCT members Matt Hoy (Australia) and Tim Curran (Ventura). Simmons finished second to Michael Campbell of Australia, who produced the highest heat score of the round (22.75).

Australian Mark Occhilupo, the top-ranked surfer in the world, surprised event organizers and even his own sponsors by not showing up for his heat. Occhilupo is believed to have remained in Australia, but is still expected in Huntington Beach for next week’s event.

Occhilupo’s no-show opened the door for Carlsbad’s Taylor Knox, who missed his morning opening-round heat after being misinformed of the starting time by a fellow competitor. But Knox, who is attempting to finish among the top 16 on the WQS tour and requalify for the WTS, failed to advance after finishing third.

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Surfing

* What: U.S. Open

* When: Today-Sunday

* Where: South side of Huntington Beach Pier, Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street

* Basics: Many of the world’s top professionals will be among the record 700 contestants vying for $160,000 in cash and prizes. The competition features men’s, women’s and junior’s surfing, bodyboarding and longboarding.

* Today’s schedule: 7-7:40 a.m.--men’s main event, Round 2 (Heats 15-16); 7:40-9 a.m.--bodyboarding quarterfinals; 9-10:20 a.m.--women’s quarterfinals; 10:20 a.m.-1 p.m.--men’s main event, Round 3; 1-1:40 p.m.--longboard semifinals; 1:40-2:20 p.m.--women’s semifinals; 2:20-2:50 p.m.--longboard finals; 2:50-3:20 p.m.--women’s finals.

* Other activities: There will be an outdoor festival and exhibit that will include board-shaping demonstrations, surf-related products and displays and other beach activities.

* Admission: Free.

* Parking: Available at the city parking structure one block in from Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway.

* Web site: https://www.gotcha.com