San Clemente’s Beschen Ousted in Semifinals

San Clemente’s Shane Beschen lost to Sunny Garcia of Kihei, Hawaii, Friday in the semifinals of the Billabong Pro at Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa.

It was the sixth stop on the Assn. of Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour, which resumes July 27-Aug. 2 in Huntington Beach with the Op Pro and Kahlua Women’s Classic.

Garcia lost in the final in 6-8-foot surf, to Australian Michael Barry, who won his second WCT title in his 10-year career.

Beschen’s finish moved him to No. 2 in the WCT rankings behind Australian Daniel Wills.

*

The U.S. Surfing Federation presents its final amateur event of the season Sunday through July 19 at Oceanside.

The invitation-only contest will feature more than 600 surfers between the ages of 12 and 55. In addition to the amateur contest, the event will include the first round of the U.S. Team Trials, the first step in a process that will determine the U.S. team in the 1998 World Surfing Games in Portugal.