SURFING SALT CREEK BEACH PRO-AM : Big Names Fall While O’Connell Advances

LAGUNA NIGUEL —  Pat O’Connell would just as soon compete incognito on the Professional Surfing Assn. of America tour, but he has been finding it tough to do so this summer.

The Laguna Niguel surfer was unknown to many on the tour until May, when he won the Body Glove contest at Imperial Beach, his first competition as a professional.

O’Connell moved a step closer to his second title Saturday, winning his second-round heat and advancing to today’s quarterfinals at the Laguna Sportswear pro-am at Salt Creek Beach.

Winning heats has been difficult for O’Connell, a graduate of Dana Hills High. He has finished 33rd and 13th in his last two contests.

“It has been tough,” O’Connell said. “I’m no longer just the kid that no one knows. I felt a lot of pressure in my first contest (after winning at Imperial). I had never had to deal with that before.”

He had few problems Saturday, defeating second-place finisher Scott Farnsworth of Huntington Beach, Colby Outlaw of Huntington Beach and Chris Brown of Santa Barbara, third-ranked on the tour.

“I look around and I see all the top guys surfing here and I can’t see how I won,” O’Connell said. “I just don’t know how.”

While O’Connell, 18, advanced to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in seven events, some of the other top surfers on the tour weren’t as fortunate.

Besides Brown, three-time defending PSAA champion Mike Lambresi of Oceanside and fifth-ranked Shane Beschen of San Clemente were eliminated in the second round. Beschen and Lambresi each finished fourth in their heats.

And while some of the big names fell, 14th-ranked O’Connell hopes this contest will be his chance to shine.

While O’Connell continues to gain respect on the PSAA tour, organizers of the Op Pro surfing championships didn’t invite him to the contest last week at Huntington Beach.

The Op Pro, one of the major stops on the Assn. of Surfing Professionals world tour, discontinued the California trials qualifying round this year to make room for the junior amateur competition. Thus, O’Connell and some other top local surfers were left out.

“There were so many hot surfers that didn’t get in at the Op,” O’Connell said. “I kind of had it in the back of my head that I might not make it, but when I found out I wasn’t, I was pretty bummed. I wanted to be there.”

All in the family: O’Connell isn’t the only member of his family in contention for a championship. His younger brother, Jim, finished second in his bodyboarding heat.

Besides Beschen and Outlaw, several other Orange County surfers were eliminated in the first and second rounds of the main event Saturday, including Andy Fomenko of San Clemente, Bud Llamas of Huntington Beach, Chris Mauro of South Laguna, Shane Stoneman of San Juan Capistrano, Craig Bechtloff of Huntington Beach, Chris Billy of Dana Point and Jim Hogan of San Clemente, the defending champion. Chris Frohoff of Redondo Beach, who won the last stop on the tour at San Clemente in July, lost in the first round of the main event.

Rob Machado of Cardiff, the only amateur to survive the first five rounds, was eliminated in the sixth round by David Eggers of San Diego and Charlie Kuhn of Indian Harbor, Fla.

Eggers, who surfed through the early trial rounds, has won his last four heats.

Competition begins at 8 a.m. today with the bodyboarding quarterfinals. The finals of the bodyboarding competition begin at 12:20 p.m., followed by the surfing competition at 12:50 p.m.

Results

Surfing

Main event Round 2 (top two advance to quarterfinals)

Heat 1--Pat O’Connell (Laguna Niguel), Scott Farnsworth (Huntington Beach). Heat 2--Paul Barr (Carlsbad), Ted Robinson (Manhattan Beach). Heat 3--Vince De La Pena (Laguna Niguel), Richie Rudolph (Cocoa Beach, Fla.). Heat 4--David Eggers (San Diego), Charlie Kuhn (Indian Harbor, Fla.). Heat 5--Matt Archbold (San Clemente), Dino Andino (San Clemente). Heat 6--Hans Hagen (Laguna Beach), Juan Ashton (Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico). Heat 7--Adam Replogue (Soquel), Todd Chesser (San Diego). Heat 8--Sean Mattison (Carlsbad), Todd Miller (Costa Mesa).

Bodyboarding

Main event Round 1 (top two advance to quarterfinals)

Heat 1--Stephanie Pettersen (Haleiwa, Hawaii), Cameron Steele (San Clemente). Heat 2--Paul Roach (Encinitas), Jason Brown (Kalaheo, Hawaii). Heat 3--Chris Burkhart (Honolulu), Henry Long (Dana Point). Heat 4--Mike Stewart (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii), Kainoa McGee (Honolulu). Heat 5--Ben Severson (Wahiawa, Hawaii), Jim O’Connell. Heat 6--Harry Antipala (Kalaheo, Hawaii), Danny Kim (Waianae, Hawaii). Heat 7--Patrick Caldwell (San Clemente), Jacky Buder (Honolulu). Heat 8--Kyle Maligro (Kalaheo, Hawaii).