Curren Passes Beschen to Win Surfing Title

Three-time world champion Tom Curren of Laguna Niguel won the Clarion East Coast Surfing Championship Sunday at Virginia Beach, Va.

By winning the event, Curren, 34, moved ahead of San Clemente’s Shane Beschen to take the 1998 Clarion Car Audio Surf Tour overall championship.

Curren won $5,000 for his first-place finish at Virginia Beach. He finished the tour with 2,916 points. Beschen took second with 2,728 points.

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Candie Kung shot a par 72 to finish fourth in the Phoenix Junior Championship, conducted by the American Junior Golf Assn. at Arizona State University’s Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz.

Kung finished the tournament six strokes behind champion Jimin Kang of Edmonds, Wash. Kang finished at one-under 215.

In the boys’ division: Nicholas Bollini of Yorba Linda shot a par 72, to finish ninth. Bollini finished the tournament with a three-over-par 219, seven strokes behind winner Brett Johnson of Hilton Head, S.C.

Brian Sinay of Irvine finished at 226, Brea’s Brad Sader was at 230 and Mike Lavery of Irvine finished at 231.

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The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported that Ohio State redshirt freshman quarterback David Priestly, who played at Brethren Christian High, has transferred to Pittsburgh.

On the depth chart, Priestly was below four others, including Capistrano Valley graduate Austin Moherman.

The Buckeyes, ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason poll, open Saturday at No. 11 West Virginia.