Posted at 4:20 p.m., Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Rothman wins World Cup of Surfing men's title
Advertiser Staff
Makuakai Rothman caught a big wave in the closing minutes of the final to win the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing men's contest today at Sunset Beach.Rothman, who grew up surfing at Sunset Beach, scored a 9.5 (out of 10) for a barrel ride as the final heat was coming to a close.
The final day of the contest was run in challenging conditions — wave-face heights ranged from 8 to 20 feet, with strong winds.
Rothman received $15,000 for his first major victory on O'ahu's North Shore.
He was the only Hawai'i surfer to reach the final.
The O'Neill World Cup is the second of three contests in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
Brazil's Leonardo Neves, who led for most of the 35-minute final, finished in second place.
Daniel Ross of Australia placed third. Fellow Australian Mick Fanning, the 2007 world champion, placed fourth.
Among other Hawai'i surfers, Wai'anae's Sunny Garcia was eliminated in the semifinals and finished in a tie for fifth place. Garcia owns a record six Triple Crown championships, and he needed to win today's final to stay in contention for a seventh.
Maui's Ian Walsh was also eliminated in the semifinals and tied for seventh place.
The third, and final, contest in the Vans Triple Crown series is the Billabong Pipeline Masters, which is scheduled to run Dec. 8 to 20 at the Banzai Pipeline.
