United States Open Of Surfing

Lifeguards zipped around the morning surf on Jet Skis, but the juxtaposition of new and old didn't faze David Nuuhiwa Sr., who on Tuesday blessed the start of the U.S. Open of Surfing as part of an ancient Hawaiian ceremony. "This goes with us wherever we go," said Nuuhiwa, as he unpacked shiny ti leaves and elie, Hawaiian rock salt from the island of Kauai.

The men's U.S. Open of Surfing final at Huntington Beach turned out to be so lopsided that even a competitor like Kelly Slater started feeling sorry for his counterpart, Yadin Nicol. For 31 minutes of the 35-minute final Sunday, Nicol did not ride a wave even though his opponent ended up giving him first crack at whatever was out there. "When you're that guy that's leading, you're just hoping time is running out," said Slater, who led the whole way. "And then I just started feeling so bad. I came up to him and said, 'Man, I am so frustrated for you right now. I have priority, but you can have whatever wave you want.' " The 10-time world champion dominated the mediocre conditions and won his second Open title.

Back in 1988, a rebellious Dave Parmenter paddled out for his heat at the Op Pro surfing championships on a longboard, prompting laughter from contest judges and the fans on the beach. Who was Parmenter kidding? No way could someone riding a heavy 9 1/2-foot longboard compete against the sharp-cutting, six-foot shortboards at the prestigious Op Pro. Parmenter couldn't keep up, losing his heat by several points to Australia's Richard Marsh.

Nathaniel Curran didn't wait for conditions to improve Sunday at the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing. He grabbed an early lead in the two-man final and held on to defeat Frenchman Tim Boal, 11.66-10.70, in sparse two-to-three-foot surf alongside the Huntington Beach pier. "The final was kind of a bummer, the waves didn't come in," Curran said. "I kind of knew that in the beginning, that the tide was coming up, getting really high, and I wanted a quick start."

Rob Machado is a former world championship runner-up and is among the most popular veteran surfers on the professional tour, but at the Honda Element U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach this week he's having to work his way through qualifying heats as if he were a rookie. In normal circumstances, Machado would be seeded among the top half dozen competitors.

Chris Ward announced his arrival on pro surfing's biggest stage, the World Championship Tour, by completing one of his trademark aerials during the second round of this season's first contest in Australia. Judges scored his ride a perfect 10 and he added a 9.5 to easily defeat Kalani Robb. He then swept aside, among others, legendary pros Taj Burrow and Kelly Slater on his way to the final, in which he lost to Australia's Mick Fanning.

What: U.S. Open of Surfing, fourth stop on the world championship tour. When: Today through Sunday. Where: South side of Huntington Beach pier. Purse: $105,000 for men's competition, $25,000 for women's, $5,000 for longboarding and $5,000 for bodyboarding. Schedule: Competition begins at 6 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, at 7 a.m. Friday and Saturday and at 8 a.m. Sunday.

When Denoal Goffaux came to watch the U.S. Open of Surfing on Saturday afternoon, he got more than he bargained for. In addition to watching several hours of world-class surfing competition, the 25-year-old tourist from Belgium walked away with free pop music cassettes, posters, magazines, stickers and cups.

When close friends Rob Machado and Kelly Slater play Ping-Pong, they compete as though their lives depend on it. So when the two met in the final of the U.S. Open of Surfing in front of an estimated 49,000 people Sunday, a wide-open battle was expected. But instead of an intense contest, it turned into a runaway as Slater made mistakes and Machado had great rides to win the title and $14,000 at the Huntington Beach Pier. Slater, the current world champion, started the final round with a 7.

Old-time surfers fondly recall the days when a journey in search of perfect waves -- whether to Mexico, Hawaii or even a beach near their homes -- involved a wonderful anticipation born of the unknown. They relied on hope and considered themselves blessed when the ocean delivered, and cursed when it didn't. Those days are long gone.

The youth movement in women's surfing took center stage Saturday afternoon alongside the Huntington Beach pier. Malia Manuel and Coco Ho, two up-and-coming teenagers from Hawaii, were the final two competitors remaining at the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing, creating the youngest women's final in event history. Manuel, who will turn 15 next month, claimed an early edge in the 30-minute final and made it stand up, winning with a best-two-wave score of 14.34 points. Ho, 17, struggled to find a groove in the deteriorating conditions and finished with a score of 7.90.

Brett Simpson of Huntington Beach put his local knowledge to use in winning his heat Friday in the round of 48 at the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. Simpson, 23, produced the third-best wave score of the event, a 9.87 out of a possible 10, and later tacked on a 9.00, giving him the third-best heat score of the event (18.87).

Sunny Garcia will tuck his surfboard under his arm, stroll to the water's edge and slash through the Huntington Beach saltwater like a Ginsu knife cutting through fresh bread. On the surface, the 38-year-old Hawaiian will probably appear as intense as ever when he paddles out for his opening-round heat today at the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing, but beneath Garcia's broad shoulders, he'll be breathing considerably easier. Garcia, the 2000 world champion, has bounced back from a three-month stint in federal prison and six months of house arrest after pleading guilty to tax evasion charges to string together another determined run at requalifying for the exclusive World Championship Tour.

Everything was in position for a thrilling men's final Sunday afternoon at the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing. The waves were just slow to arrive. In the end, former world champion C.J. Hobgood of Florida performed well enough in the small, inconsistent surf alongside the Huntington Beach Pier, providing the cushion in a 12.60-11.17 victory over teenage phenom Jeremy Flores of France. "I have been thinking and dreaming for many years of winning this event," Hobgood said.

Courtney Conlogue makes it clear that education is just as important as her burgeoning surfing career. In a women's semifinal Saturday at the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, the 14-year-old from Santa Ana learned a lesson in wave priority from the event's eventual champion, Stephanie Gilmore of Australia. Conlogue was leading Gilmore with about three minutes remaining when Conlogue took off on a wave that failed to add to her lead.

The name resonates through the Hawaiian Islands like the vibration from a volcanic blast. It awakens memories of brothers Michael and Derek Ho, who set the bar on the famed North Shore and left the rest of the surfing world playing limbo. Mason Ho was born into that Hawaiian royalty nearly 19 years ago. And this week at the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, he hopes to add to the family legacy.

Brett Simpson of Huntington Beach put his local knowledge to use in winning his heat Friday in the round of 48 at the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. Simpson, 23, produced the third-best wave score of the event, a 9.87 out of a possible 10, and later tacked on a 9.00, giving him the third-best heat score of the event (18.87).

Those who make money off the world of surfing have discovered they must add another ingredient to lure additional spectators to one of the nation's most elite wave-riding competitions. Land. And so it is that the U.S. Open of Surfing is putting an increased emphasis on the landlocked sports of skateboarders, inline skaters and stunt bicyclists.

Though the electronic monitoring device was firmly wrapped around the right ankle of Sunny Garcia, he was feeling considerably lighter in the shoulders Tuesday when he arrived at the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. Garcia, a 37-year-old former world champion from Hawaii, is under house arrest in Newport Beach this summer. He pleaded guilty last October to tax evasion charges and spent three months in federal prison before his release in April.

If a statement was made on the final day of the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing, it began during the quarterfinals, on a large left-handed wave on which Rob Machado performed the kind of mastery that has made him a favorite among fans as well as today's top pros. It continued through Sunday's semifinals when the goofy-footer from Cardiff-by-the-Sea disposed of one of his biggest admirers, and concluded in the form of a triumph over Roy Powers and an unprecedented third U.S.