Garcia wins first round heat

Hawaii’s Sunny Garcia, the current ratings points leader, continued

his quest Thursday for the 2000 world title by easily winning his first

round heat in the Bluetorch Pro, now underway at the Huntington Beach

Pier.

The Bluetorch Pro is a $168,000 World Championship tour (WCT) event,

featuring the world’s top 44 male and 15 female surfers in a sudden death

format.

Competing in two-three foot waves in red tide conditions, Garcia was

strong from the outset in his head and went on to dominate his two

opponents, Dean Randazzo (San Diego) and Michael Lowe (Australia).

“Unfortunately in my heat, there wasn’t too much,” Garcia said. “I

just sat where I usually sit in the water each year, right near the pier,

and I got two lefts and a right. I found three waves at the beginning and

had a little more time to sit around and wait for waves, while the other

guys were scrambling. I got lucky. They didn’t need much, but there

wasn’t a lot (of waves) out there.”

Not as fortunate as Garcia was current world champion Mark Occhilupo

(Australia), who fell to wild card entry Simon Nicholson of South Africa.

The setback forced Occhilupo to face another wild card entry, Brazil’s

Joca Junior, in a sudden-death, round-two matchup.

“It was a bit too inconsistent and there weren’t too many waves,”

Occhilupo said of the water. “I wanted to have the inside position, but

the kid (Nicholson) got it off me and found a good wave at the start.”

Cardiff’s Rob Machado was the day’s top surfer, scoring the highest

single save score (9.0) out of a possible 10, to amass the highest

combined total points (23.00). Competing against Taj Burrow (Australia),

ranked second in the world, and Hawaiian Andy Irons, Machado glided

across sections with speed and precision to get the big win.

Reigning two-time women’s champion Layne Beachley (Australia) lost her

opening heat in the Elleven Pro Women’s tournament, falling to wild card

opponent Pru Jeffries (Australia).