Sullivan wins third Xcel Pro

Pancho Sullivan relied on his experience at Sunset Beach, using a powerful but polished style to prevail. Photos by Bernie Baker • Special to The Advertiser

Fred Patacchia Jr. made it through a barreling wave in the final minute of the Xcel Pro to earn second place and $2,500.

The final day of competition was completed in clean 6- to 8-foot waves at Sunset Beach. The contest, which featured many of Hawai'i's top big-wave surfers, is considered the kickoff event for the North Shore surfing season.

"Any win at Sunset is sweet for me," said Sullivan, 30. "This is my home break; I've been surfing here since I was 7 years old."

In 23 years, he has developed a powerful, yet polished, approach to Sunset Beach's tricky waves. The proof came in the form of his third Xcel Pro championship trophy (he also won in 1998 and 2000).

While many competitors attempted to score points with barrel rides yesterday, Sullivan relied on difficult slashing maneuvers in the most crucial sections of the waves.

"It's what I express in my surfing: commitment," Sullivan said. "I try to dig deep and surf every wave as hard as I can."

That strategy worked to near-perfection in the 35-minute final.

For a 20-minute stretch in the final, the ocean went mysteriously flat. By the end of the heat, the four finalists were able to catch only three waves each.

"You have a limited amount of time and Mother Nature offers what it offers," Sullivan said.

He made the most of his three waves, completing his powerful maneuvers throughout.

"Unfortunately, it was kind of a dud heat for waves," he said. "I was just fortunate enough to get three complete rides."

Fred Patacchia Jr. of Hale'iwa rode through a barreling wave in the final 30 seconds, but it was only enough to put him in second place. Patacchia, who won last year's Xcel Pro, did not catch a wave for the first 28 minutes of the final.

"I didn't have a watch, so I didn't know how much time had passed," said Patacchia, 21. "I ended up sitting and waiting a little too long."

Patacchia's barrel ride received a score of 9.5 (out of 10), but his next best wave was a 4.0 (each surfer's final score is based on his two best waves).

"I was psyched to get that barrel," he said. "It was probably the best barrel I ever had at Sunset. It didn't get me first (place), but it took me from fourth to second, so I'll take that."

Sullivan secured the victory in the closing seconds by catching the wave right behind Patacchia's barrel. He completed three top-to-bottom carving maneuvers along the face of the wave for a score of 7.77. On his previous wave, he scored 7.5 for similar moves.

"I just really try to push with everything I have through each turn, and ultimately the most critical maneuvers are going to win the event," Sullivan said. "So that's what I'm looking for on every wave."

His two-wave total of 15.27 was enough to earn the $5,000 first-place check.

"Pancho was obviously prepared for this," Patacchia said. "He's so good at Sunset, any wave he catches is at least a 6."

The other two finalists, Nick Muscroft of Australia and Nathan Carroll from Sunset Beach, were left to chase the wave scraps in the closing minutes.

Muscroft scored a perfect 10 for a long barrel ride in the semifinals, but wound up in third place in the final.

Carroll placed fourth but showed glimpses of his own Sunset Beach prowess throughout the earlier heats. Carroll, 18, is in his first full season as a professional.

"It was the most frustrating thing I had to experience," he said of the long lull during the final. "But I'm still happy with my result. The waves shut down in the final, but the previous heats were awesome."

Another North Shore surfer, Love Hodel, tied for ninth, but clinched the 2003 Hawaiian Pro-Am Circuit championship.

Dino Miranda of Hale'iwa won the longboard expression session and $500. Kapono Nahina placed second, and Joey Valentin was third.

The next North Shore contest, the Vans Hawaiian Pro, is scheduled to run Nov. 12-23 at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach. The Hawaiian Pro is the first event in the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.

Final results

1, Pancho Sullivan (Hawai'i), $5,000. 2, Fred Patacchia Jr. (Hawai'i), $2,500. 3, Nick Muscroft (Australia), $2,000. 4, Nathan Carroll (Hawai'i), $1,500. 5 (tie), Gavin Beschen (California) and Myles Padaca (Hawai'i), $1,200. 7 (tie), Matt Thompson (Australia) and Shinpei Horiguchi (Japan), $1,000. 9 (tie), Marcus Hickman (Hawai'i), Love Hodel (Hawai'i), Mark Healey (Hawai'i) and Kaipo Jaquias (Hawai'i), $800. 13 (tie), Anthony Walsh (Australia), Jonah Morgan (Hawai'i), Jason Shibata (Hawai'i) and Ross Williams (Hawai'i), $600.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser. com or 535-8101.