• Carroll, Rothman keep Hawaiian flag flying • Funk wins Skins Game with 15 skins, $925,000 Carroll, Rothman keep Hawaiian flag flying By VANS TRIPLE CROWN OF SURFING MEDIA SUNSET BEACH, Hawai’i — Thirteen non-Hawai’i surfers made the best of
• Carroll, Rothman keep Hawaiian flag flying
• Funk wins Skins Game with 15 skins, $925,000
Carroll, Rothman keep Hawaiian flag flying
By VANS TRIPLE CROWN OF SURFING MEDIA
SUNSET BEACH, Hawai’i — Thirteen non-Hawai’i surfers made the best of a disjointed swell of 8- to 12-feet waves at the second day of the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach.
Of the 18 heats contested Sunday, 13 were taken by non-Hawaiian surfers.
However, O’Neill team rider Nathan Carroll, a Sunset Beach local, blitzed his way through another two rounds and will take on former world champion Mark Occhilupo (AUS) as well as two other riders in round five.
Carroll suffered the odd heavy wipeout between excellent rides, posting a two-wave total of 13.5 points. His best single wave as an 8.5.
“The conditions are really hard,” said 20-year-old Carroll. “I think it’s harder being a local today — we’re so picky, and we usually know which waves are good. The best waves I got today looked like the worst ones, but turned out great.”
Local surfer Makua Rothman was again a standout, posting a 15.76 point total in the fourth round. Rothman is drawn against C.J. Hobgood (USA), Fred Patacchia (Haw), and Justin Mujica (Portugal) in round five.
Funk wins Skins Game with 15 skins, $925,000
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LA QUINTA, Calif. — Never underestimate the short guy.
Fred Funk, who had to wear a skirt for one hole on Saturday after being outdriven by Annika Sorenstam, won the Skins Game on Sunday with a total of $925,000 and 15 skins, clinching a record-setting victory when Tiger Woods missed an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 18.
The 49-year-old Funk became the oldest Skins Game winner with a two-putt birdie on 18 that gave him the final $550,000 and six skins. He won all $700,000 available on Sunday.
Almost as surprising as Funk winning practically the entire purse was Fred Couples, the King of Skins, getting shut out for the first time in 12 appearances. Woods won the other $75,000, on the third hole on Saturday. Sorenstam was shut out for the second straight year.
The $925,000 and 15 skins were records for a rookie. Funk got into his first Skins Game by winning the Players Championship in March.
With more than half the purse up for grabs on the final hole, Funk played it brilliantly. As usual, his drive was in the middle of the fairway on the 524-yard, par-5 finishing hole. His approach shot left him with a 30-foot eagle putt, which curled just to the left, leaving him a tap-in for birdie.
