Sunny Garcia looks forward to facing Kelly Slater
As surfers completed Round 2 of the Boost Mobile Pro on Tuesday, fans were looking beyond to one of Wednesday’s featured Round 3 matchups: Sunny Garcia versus Kelly Slater. Former world champion versus an eight-time world champion on the fast-track toward claiming a ninth.
Pro surfing’s notorious bad boy versus Quiksilver’s millionaire poster boy.
Garcia, 38, who last competed on the ASP World Tour in 2005, was added to the Boost lineup because of a pre-contest injury to a tour competitor.
He prevailed in his Round 1 heat Monday to advance directly to Round 3 of the event at fabled Lower Trestles in San Clemente.
Then he learned he’d be going up against the ASP ratings leader and an athlete who has made the Boost Mobile Pro final the last four years, winning twice.
Daunted? Not Garcia. He’s just happy to have the opportunity and to be free again. You may recall his troubles since leaving the tour: prison for tax evasion, house arrest, divorce.
More recently, Garcia’s grandmother passed away and he lost a sister to cancer. But he seems at peace, is remarried and living in San Clemente. He’s ranked No. 19 on the World Qualifying Series Tour and needs only to bump up a few spots to qualify for the 2009 World Tour.
“It has been such a hard year for me but I just chug along and do the best I can, and try to be the best person I possibly can,” Garcia says. “Sometimes I fall short, but I’m trying.”
He’ll have plenty of fan support on Wednesday.
—Pete Thomas
Photo: Sunny Garcia is in top form during a victory in Round 1 of the Boost Mobile Pro at Lower Trestles in San Clemente.
Credit: ASP/Covered Images
