Payne sees shark during ASP contest
A Hawaii surfer competing in the Rip Curl Pro Search contest Tuesday at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach left the water in the middle of a heat after saying he saw a large shark.
Dusty Payne, 22, left the surf while competing against Jordy Smith of South Africa and Tom Whitaker of Australia, saying he saw a large shark fin just outside the lineup.
"I was just sitting there, and I was waiting for a wave. I’ve seen dolphins before and it wasn’t a dolphin," Payne said during an interview on the beach. "It was the biggest fin I’ve ever seen in my life coming straight at me."
The sighting follows an attack by a 9-foot shark on a surfer Saturday at Marina State Beach in Monterey County, about 100 miles south of San Francisco.
Eric Tarantino suffered injuries to his neck and arm, but was released from the hospital Monday.
Despite the alleged sighting by Payne, the contest continued.
Ten-time world champion Kelly Slater, 39, won his heat, needing only one more winning heat during the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour contest to capture his 11th title.
Payne and fellow Hawaii surfer John John Florence placed second in their first-round heats and advanced to the second round.
Hawaii’s Fred Patacchia moved on to the third round with a win in his first-round heat.
Kono near top of leaderboard
UCLA senior Stephanie Kono, a 2008 Punahou graduate, shot consecutive rounds of even-par 72 to sit in a tie for seventh place heading into today’s final round of the Rainbow Wahine Invitational at the Kapolei Golf Course.
Kono had three birdies and three bogeys in each of her first two rounds.
Washington freshman Cyd Okino, who also attended Punahou, had three bogeys and three birdies in an opening-round 72 before shooting 4 over in the afternoon, good for 16th place.
The Bruins lead the second-place Huskies by 18 shots heading into today.
Hawaii sits in 11th place at 55 over as a team.
Rainbow Wahine junior Kaili Britos followed a 74 with a 73 and is 3 over in a tie for 12th place.
Kua is medalist, but Ching’s team wins
University of Hawaii golfer T.J. Kua shot a 6-under 66 at Puakea Golf Course on Tuesday to take medalist honors in the Kauai Collegiate Invitational.
Kua finished at 14-under 202, seven shots ahead of second-place Linus Vaisanen of the winning San Diego team.
Alex Ching, a former Punahou golfer now with the Toreros, made a 3-foot birdie putt on the final hole to secure the win by one shot over Hawaii.
The Toreros finished at 850 and Hawaii at 851.
San Diego’s victory was its fourth straight in the annual Kauai event.
UHH takes Dennis Rose tourney
Jamie Hall shot a 3-under 69 to win the men’s medalist honors in the Dennis Rose Invitational golf tournament at the Waikoloa Kings’ Course.
Hall finished the tourney with a three-round total of 7-under 209. Teammate Travis Russell finished three strokes back in second place, and UHH took team honors.
The Vulcans (864) won by eight shots over Grand Canyon (872).
Hawaii Pacific finished in seventh place, and Brigham Young-Hawaii took eighth.
Grand Canyon won the women’s team event and Cal State Monterey Bay’s Courtney Soekland earned women’s medalist honors.
The Antelopes (878) finished five shots ahead of the Otters (883).
Soekland (9-under 207) won by three shots over Grand Canyon’s Charlotte Jaengkit.
Hawaii-Hilo (898), led by Erika Motohiro (sixth place, 221), placed third.
