The history books for the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing are filled with Sunny Garcia entries.

Garcia showed yesterday that his career is far from becoming history.

Garcia, who came from humble beginnings in Wai'anae to win a world championship in 2000, won two heats in impressive fashion yesterday to highlight the second day of the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach.

"I'm still competitive," he said. "I don't like losing."

That competitiveness helped Garcia win a record six Triple Crown championships. His first came in 1992; his last in 2004.

The second and third rounds of the Reef Hawaiian Pro were run yesterday in wave-face heights that ranged from 3 to 8 feet throughout the day.

The Reef Hawaiian Pro is the first event in the Triple Crown series.

After yesterday's heats, there are 68 surfers remaining in the Reef Hawaiian Pro. At 39, Garcia is the oldest.

Some of the other remaining surfers — like 16-year-old John John Florence of Sunset Beach — are younger than Garcia's children.

"It's kind of nice to be out there with these young kids," Garcia said. "I want to beat them, but at the same time, I'm in awe of them."

After winning his third-round heat yesterday, Garcia stood on beach and watched the next heat, when 20-year-old Clay Marzo of Maui received scores of 8.5 (out of 10) and 7.73 for a couple of spinning aerial maneuvers.

"I couldn't even try to do that," Garcia said with a laugh. "The things they do now — tail slides, aerials, all that — I can't beat any of them in that."

But what Garcia can do — still — is produce powerful carving maneuvers that the smaller, younger surfers can not match.

During his third-round victory, Garcia received a score of 8.83 for completing three wave-bashing turns on a single wave. It was the highest wave score of the entire day.

It also signaled the return of Garcia as a legitimate contender for another Triple Crown title.

He has been slowed in the last three years by legal and physical problems.

His 2007 surfing season was cut short by a three-month prison stint for tax evasion charges. In 2008, he started a comeback, but then suffered knee injuries.

Garcia spent most of 2009 rehabilitating from surgeries to both knees.

"I'm just starting to feel good now," he said. "I've been riding my mountain bike and running like five miles every day. I was 215 (pounds) when I got here a couple weeks ago and now I'm down to 192."

Garcia said he wants to make a good showing in this year's Triple Crown and ride the momentum on to the World Qualifying Series in 2010. Because of his problems in recent years, he has to start from scratch to earn his way back to the elite ASP World Tour.

"I'm going to give it a try," he said.

Garcia spends most of the year in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., where he is still seeking financial resolution for the tax fiasco.

"I've been through a lot," he said. "But I'm not ready to go away yet."

Garcia was one of seven Hawai'i surfers to advance to the fourth round yesterday.

The others were Marzo, Granger Larsen, Bruce Irons, Flynn Novak, Evan Valiere and Hank Gaskell.

The top-seeded surfers in the contest received byes yesterday. Among the Hawai'i surfers yet to surf in the contest are former world champion Andy Irons, Roy Powers, Pancho Sullivan, Fred Patacchia Jr., Dusty Payne and Kekoa Bacalso.

Defending world champion Kelly Slater of Florida is not entered.

The contest needs three more days of competition to determine a winner.

For daily updates, visit http://www.triplecrownofsurfing.com.