U.S. Open's $100,000 top prize is for men only

The Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing, underway through Sunday at the Huntington Beach Pier, will pay somebody $100,000.

Narrowing that down, it will not be the winner of the women's division, who will receive only $4,500.

Nor will it be the winners of the Nike 6.0 Junior Pro ($2,500 for boys' and girls' division champions) or the winner of the Corona Nose Riding Invitational ($4,000).

All that's known for sure is that the richest prize in competitive surfing history -- richer even than purses awarded in elite World Tour competitions -- will be given to the man who emerges triumphant in the main event.

After all, top-level men's surfing is all the majority of surfers and surfing fans care about, right? So why not jack up the top prize?

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Machado's grand idea

Who's throwing the bone in this Assn. of Surfing Professionals six-star World Qualifying Series competition? Not the ASP, though it would like to take credit.

It's the surfwear company Hurley, which is providing, at the request of its star athlete, Rob Machado, an $80,000 boost to the first-place purse.

"This event has more humans on the beach than any event in the world," Machado said. "I love the idea of bringing that stadium atmosphere excitement back. Plus, it's the U.S. Open, man. With a name like that, you've got to do something spectacular."

Machado, who lives in Cardiff, has won the U.S. Open a record three times.

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Big money, big stars

Putting $100,000 up for grabs doesn't seem fair to the dozens of WQS surfers using this highly rated contest to earn points they hope will help them qualify for the elite World Tour.

Why? Because the U.S. Open field is stacked with surfers who are already on the World Tour, including nine-time world champion Kelly Slater and three-time world champion Andy Irons, who do not need any WQS points.

Both were listed as contenders before Hurley upped the ante, but the big money will stoke the competitive fire among them and others like them.

They include veteran World Tour surfers C.J. and Damien Hobgood, Fred Patacchia, Mick Fanning, Taj Burrow, Adriano de Souza and Taylor Knox. Hobgood is ranked No. 2 in the world. De Souza is ranked No. 3.

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On the defensive

Nathaniel Curran of Oxnard is a rookie on the World Tour, ranked No. 33 on a circuit that automatically requalifies its top 27 at season's end. He's also the defending U.S. Open champion.