It’s a perfect day for U.S. surf team at X Games

Chris Ward strolled onto the beach at Puerto Escondido, Mexico, at 4:30 a.m. Thursday, sat in the dark and listened to waves he could not see.

He heard them sucking up, throwing out, peeling along the coast and spitting plumes of mist generated from deep within.

It was a Zen moment. “I knew that it was going to be a good day,” Ward said.

A few hours later, the San Clemente surfer found himself inside one of those gargantuan cylinders, standing motionless while surrounded by glistening jade walls, savoring the experience until blasting out with the mist and his arms spread wide, as if he were flying.

Judges gave him a perfect 10, the first in the X Games’ five-year surfing history, and that helped boost the United States to a resounding triumph over a World team that for a second day had to settle for second best.

This game lacked the wipeout-filled down-to-the-wire drama of the U.S. women’s three-point victory on Wednesday. The U.S. men prevailed, 81.75-81, but the game ended minutes into the bottom of the third period when a 7.0 ride by Hawaii’s Clay Marzo put the U.S. on top.

However, the waves were larger and cleaner, with faces up to 12 feet, and the quality of surfing much better for athletes whose highest individual scores during each of three periods count toward the final tally.

“Today’s conditions were flawless,” Ward said.

Indeed, when the production airs on ESPN during live X Games programming Aug. 2-5, viewers will see why Zicatela Beach is referred to as the “Mexican Pipeline” and why Ward, Rob Machado, Shane Beschen and Marzo are so highly regarded.

“This was by far the best and most fun X Games in terms of performance by both our team and individually, and the way we went about winning,” Beschen, who is Ward’s neighbor, said of a team coached by Matt Kechele and big-wave star Mike Parsons.

Ward, who stars on the Foster’s ASP World Tour, led a first-period charge with a deep tube ride that earned a score of 8.5. Beschen and Cardiff’s Machado posted 8.0s and Marzo a 7.5 to put the U.S. up, 32-27.

A World team lacking major star power, thus relying more on its subs, was drubbed again in the second period, as Ward disappeared into the biggest wave of the day and emerged with the 10-point score, following an equally impressive 9.0 tube ride by Beschen.

“I knew it was coming because I had the feeling in my heart,” Ward said. “I knew we just had to be patient. Anyone could have gotten a 10 today.”

The U.S. matched an X Games-high 35 points in the second period for a 67-51.5 lead. The World mounted a charge in the top of the third, getting a 9.75 from Australia’s Mick Campbell, a 9.5 from New Zealand’s Jay Quinn and an 8.75 from Australia’s Julian Wilson. But Indonesia’s Rizal Tanjung, Puerto Escondido’s David Rutherford and Japan’s Mar Ohno, alternating in the lineup, could do no better than a 1.5.

So when the World held only a precarious 81-67 lead as the U.S. took to the water for the bottom of the third, it required only modest rides by Machado (4.5), Beschen (1.5) and Marzo (7.0) to send the surfers to the beach early.

Ward was named most valuable player, but he also won the MIW award, for most impressive wave. “It was one of the best and most important 10s I’ve ever posted,” he said.

--

Thomas reported from Los Angeles.

pete.thomas@latimes.com