Roll call of winners

Mike Sciacca

It was nine years ago that Jeff Deffenbaugh made waves at the U.S.

Open of Surfing.

The Huntington Beach High graduate was 22 and making his way among

the professional surf crowd at the 1994 U.S. Open of Surfing. He was

confident, yet loose and excited, he said, to be surfing against the

best of the best.

“I remember it being wild,” said Deffenbaugh, now 30. “I entered

the event with nothing to lose. It was my first U.S. Open and it

turned out to be memorable.”

Deffenbaugh’s wild ride saw him go from a wildcard entry -- he was

one of three men’s qualifiers for the U.S. Open -- all the way to the

quarterfinal round, in which he led that quarterfinal heat for all

but the final three minutes.

A victory there would have put him to a semifinal showdown against

Florida’s Kelly Slater, he recalled.

En route to a quarterfinal round appearance, one of Deffenbaugh’s

big victories came at the expense of Rob Machado, who had just come

off a victory at the Op Pro.

Machado would go on to win the 1995 U.S. Open title.

Slater, though, went on reach that 1994 final, where he was

defeated by San Clemente’s Shane Beschen in an all-American final

surfed before 60,000 spectators at the Huntington Beach Pier.

For Deffenbaugh, the 1994 U.S. Open was the start of a big year.

He went on to qualify for the World Championship Tour.

“I’m the only guy from Huntington to make the WCT,” he said. “It

was always a dream of mine to be on tour, and the year that I entered

my first U.S. Open was the year I qualified for the tour.”

Deffenbaugh will once again be among the competitors vying for the

2003 U.S. Open men’s title.

It is one of the biggest and most critical competitions surfers

face.

Some of the men and women who have won the U.S. Open are:

MEN

U.S. Open of Surfing

Kalani Robb (Hawaii) -- 2002

Rob Machado (Cardiff) -- 2001

Sunny Garcia (Hawaii) -- 2000

Shea Lopez (San Clemente) -- 1999

Andy Irons (Hawaii) -- 1998

Beau Emerton (Australia) -- 1997

Kelly Slater (Florida) -- 1996

Rob Machado (Cardiff) -- 1995

Shane Beschen (San Clemente) -- 1994

WOMEN

U.S. Open of Surfing

Pauline Menczer (Australia) -- 2002

Pauline Menczer (Australia) -- 2001

Tita Tavares (Brazil) -- 2000

Keala Kennelly (Hawaii) -- 1999

Tita Tavares (Brazil) -- 1998

Lisa Andersen (Florida) -- 1997

Layne Beachley (Australia) -- 1996

Neridah Falconer (Australia) -- 1995

Lisa Andersen (Florida) -- 1994

JUNIOR PRO

Kekoa Bacalso (Hawaii) -- 2002

Bobby Martinez (Santa Barbara) -- 2001

Paulo Moura (Brazil) -- 2000

Travis Logie (South Africa) -- 1999

U.S. Open of Longboarding

Joel Tudor (Del Mar) -- 2002

*Josh Baxter (San Clemente) -- 2001

Joel Tudor (Cardiff) -- 2000

Joel Tudor (Cardiff) -- 1999

Joel Tudor (Cardiff) -- 1998

Joel Tudor (Cardiff) -- 1997

Joel Tudor (San Diego) -- 1996

Joel Tudor (San Diego) -- 1995

Colin McPhillips (Capistrano Beach) -- 1994

U.S. Open of Bodyboarding

Guilherme Tamega (Brazil) -- 1999

Guilherme Tamega (Brazil) -- 1998

Brian Wise (San Clemente) -- 1997

Ben Holland (Australia) -- 1996

Spencer Skipper (Hawaii) -- 1995

Guilherme Tamega (Brazil) -- 1994

Women’s Bodyboarding

Daniela Freitas (Brazil) -- 2001

Daniela Freitas (Brazil) -- 1996

* Note: Josh Mohr of Huntington Beach finished second