Curren Rolls for a While, Then Is Eliminated : Op Pro: Three-time world champion, a crowd favorite, makes it through several qualifying rounds before losing in the fifth.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — It was like a blast from the past. Three-time world champion Tom Curren was catching wave after wave, racking up points in his heat.

But unlike past tournaments, Curren was not seeded in a later round with the Kelly Slaters and Conan Hayeses of the surfing world, but instead was working his way through countless qualifying rounds in the Op Pro Surfing Championships at the Huntington Beach Pier.

Curren, of Santa Barbara, won the world title in 1985, 1986 and 1990. But at 31, he is seen as an old-timer, possibly on the last legs of his professional career.

Nevertheless, it was clear Curren was a crowd favorite Wednesday.

“I kind of think about being too old, but I won’t let it stop me from competing,” Curren said.

Curren advanced through the fourth round Wednesday, but was eliminated in the fifth when Christian Vaccaro and Pete Rocky of San Clemente took first and second. Only the top two in each heat advance.

Before the start of the fifth heat, Curren was low-key and seemed almost surprised he was still alive in the tournament.

He said the last time he competed was in March, but he didn’t do too well.

“My sponsor [Rip Curl] wanted me to enter the Op Pro,” Curren said. “I’m three times retired and I’ve been surfing pro for 13 years, so I’ve been doing this for a while.”

He admits he doesn’t have the same enthusiasm for surfing that he did when he was a top competitor in the ‘80s and early ‘90s.

“I was more dedicated back then,” Curren said. “I’m not really training now, and I’m not surfing as much these days.”

As he watched the competitors from the grandstand, Curren said the sport has changed a lot and that some of these contests have taken the enjoyment out of surfing.

“I still like to surf,” Curren said, noting that he recently returned from Fiji on a surfing excursion with his wife. “I like to surf spots I’ve never done before. But it’s pretty intense in these contests.”

Realizing that he has the status of a legend within the surfing community, Curren seems to reluctantly accept the mantle.

“I know some people think like that . . . But I don’t know,” he said with a shrug.

The men’s trials continue at 7 a.m. today, with the main event scheduled at 8:20 a.m. The women’s main event is scheduled this afternoon.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Surfing Results

OP PRO CHAMPIONSHIPS at Huntington Beach

Wednesday results Men’s Trials

Sixth round (top two from each heat advance)

Heat 1--1. Neco Padaratz, Brazil; 2. Shane Bevan, Australia; 3. Bobby Lockhart, Huntington Beach; 4. Jake Peterson. Heat 2--1. Chad Delgado, Ewa Beach, Hawaii; 2. Cory Lopez; 3. Rodrigo Jorge, Brazil; 4. Jason Weatherly. Heat 3--1. Brian Hewitson, Satellite Beach, Fla.; 2. Josh Bradbury, Santa Barbara; 3. Shawn Sutton, Dana Point; 4. Kieran Horn, Soquel, Calif. Heat 4--1. Will Lewis; 2. Trevor Christ; 3. Baron Knowlton, Lake Worth, N.J.; 4. Ben Weatherly.

Heat 5--1. David Giddings, Newport Beach; 2. Gustavo Aguiar, Brazil; 3. Ryan Simmons, Seal Beach; 4. Otavio Lima, Brazil. Heat 6--1. Carlos Cabrerro, Puerto Rico; 2. Dan Malloy; 3. Chris Drummy; 4. Donnie Solomon. Heat 7--1. Christian Vaccaro; 2. Tim Curran, Oxnard; 3. Pete Rocky, San Clemente; 4. Hans Hagen. Heat 8--1. Gavin Beschen, San Clemente; 2. Chris Ward, San Clemente; 3. Jevon Le Rouxe, South Africa; 4. Billy Oswald, Huntington Beach.

Heat 9--1. Daniel Wills; 2. Takyuki Fukuchi, Japan; 3. Kye Fitzgerald, Australia; 4. Seth Hawley, Costa Mesa. Heat 10--1. Hemerson Marinho, Brazil; 2. Keoni Cuccia, Ventura; 3. Peter Mendia, West Palm Beach, Fla.; 4. Nick Brown, Ewa Beach, Hawaii. Heat 11--1. Noohifa Ogawa, Japan; 2. Ryan Ragen, San Francisco; 3. Rick Massie, Marina del Rey; 4. Spencer Hargraves, Great Britain.

Fifth round (top two from each heat advance)

Heat--1. Bobby Lockhart, Huntington Beach; 2. Jake Patterson; 3. Ben Bourgeois, Wrightsville, N.C.; 4. Tony Seddon. Heat 2--1. Jason Weatherly; 2. Chad Delgado, Ewa Beach, Hawaii; 3. Will Tant, Flagler Beach, Fla.; 4. Benji Severson. Heat 3--1. Brian Hewitson, Satellite Beach, Fla.; 2. Kieran Horn, Soquel, Calif.; 3. James Pribram; 4. Erik Barton. Heat 4--1. Will Lewis, Australia; 2. Tevor Christ, Encinitas; 3. Scott Finn, Dana Point; 4. Tim Frisk.

Heat 5--1. Gustavo Aquiar, Brazil; 2. Otavio Lima, Brazil; 3. Banning Capps. Heat 6--1. Chris Drummy; 2. Dan Malloy; 3. William Sue-A-Quan, Puerto Rico; 4. Milton Morbeck. Heat 7--1. Pete Rocky, San Clemente; 2. Christian Vaccaro; 3. Tom Curren, Santa Barbara; 4. Jay Phillips, Australia. Heat 8--1. Chris Ward, San Clemente; 2. Billy Oswald, Huntington Beach; 3. John Logan, Ormand Beach, Fla.; 4. Michael Voss, Carlsbad.

Heat 9--1. Yakayuki Fukuchi, Japan; 2. Daniel Wills; 3. Myles Padaca, Paleiwa, Hawaii; 4. Chad Navarro, San Clemente. Heat 10--1. Keoni Cuccia, Ventura; 2. Nick Brown, Ewa Beach, Hawaii; 3. Issac Kaneshiro, Hawaii; 4. Pancho Sullivan, Haleiwa, Hawaii. Heat 11--1. Naohisa Ogawa, Japan; 2. Ryan Ragen, San Francisco; 3. Rizal Tandjung, Bali; 4. Fabio Nunez, Brazil. Heat 12--1. Jon Rose, Laguna Beach; 2; Travis Molina; 3. Colin Wagschal, Solana Beach; 4. Cordell Miller.

Heat 13--1. Russell Winter, Great Britain; 2. Shane Wenner; 3. Jeremy Saukel, Satellite Beach, Fla.; 4. Branden Faber, Laguna Beach. Heat 14--1. Homer Hernard; 2. David Dixon; 3. C.T. Taylor, La Jolla; 4. Zack Keenan, Oceanview, N.J. Heat 15--1. Bryce Cohn, Marin; 2. Kasey Curtis; 3. Akila Alpa, Haleiwa, Hawaii; 4. Andy Irons, Hanalei, Hawaii. Heat 16--1. Yves Bright, North Hollywood; 2. Mark Moreno, Huntington Beach; 3. Christopher Strother; 4. Love Hodel, Haleiwa, Hawaii.

Fourth round (Top two from each heat advance)

Heat 1--1. Jake Paterson, Australia; 2. Ben Bourgeois, Wrightsville, N.C.; 3. Ron Hope, Indiatlantic; 4. Yancy Spencer. Heat 2--1. Jason Weatherley; 2. Will Tant, Flagler Beach, Fla.; 3. Meha Balmores; 4. Troy Tecklenburg, Seal Beach. Heat 3--1. Brian Hewitson, Satellite Beach, Fla.; 2. James Pribram, Laguna Beach; 3. Joji Kiura, Japan; 4. Matt Keenan, Cardiff. Heat 4--1. Tim Frisk; 2. Will Lewis; 3. Ailbe McGarry, Cardiff; 4. Jeremy Heit, Oceanside.

Heat 5--1. Banning Capps; 2. Otavio Lima, Brazil; 3. Bryan Jennings; 4. Ryan Sakal, Huntington Beach. Heat 6--1. Dan Malloy; 2. William Sue-A-Quan, Puerto Rico; 3. Kaden Alasantro, Cardiff; 4. Casey Wheat, Huntington Beach. Heat 7--1. Tom Curren, Santa Barbara; 2. Christian Vaccaro; 3. Noel Salas, Carlsbad; 4. Hiraku Ogawa, Japan. Heat 8--1. Billy Oswald, Huntington Beach; 2. Michael Vos, Carlsbad; 3. Ailbe McGarry, Cardiff; 4. Rainos Hayes, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Heat 9--1. Daniel Wills, Australia; 2. Myles Padaca, Haleiwa, Hawaii; 3. Steve Pugh, Long Beach; 4. Tomofumi Yoshioka, Japan. Heat 10--1. Nick Brown; 2. Isaac Kaneshiro, Hawaii; 3. Jason Haughey; 4. Matrusa Takura, Japan. Heat 11--1. Rizal Tandjung, Bali; 2. Fabio Nunez, Brazil; 3. Jason Gantz, Hawaii; 4. Julian Sekon, Santa Cruz. Heat 12--1. Jon Rose, Laguna Beach; 2. Cordell Miller; 3. Josh Loya, Santa Cruz; 4. Pablo Diaz, Puerto Rico.

Heat 13--1. Jeremy Saukel, Satellite Beach, Fla.; 2. Shane Wehner; 3. Takayuki Wakita, Japan; 4. Camm Anderson, Cocoa Beach, Fla. Heat 14--1. Homer Hernard, Santa Cruz; 2. Zack Keenan, Cardiff; 3. Eric Viscosi, Temecula; 4. Quintin Jones, South Africa. Heat 15--1. Bryce Cohn, Marin; 2. Andy Irons, Hanalei, Hawaii; 3. Justin Harcharic; 4. Paul Parks. Heat 16--1. Yves Bright, North Hollywood; 2. Mark Moreno, Huntington Beach; 3. Jordan Tappis, Calabasas; 4. Jason Collins, Santa Cruz.

Third round (Top two from each heat advance)

(Heat 7-16)

Heat 7--1. Christian Vaccaro; 2. Tom Curren, Santa Barbara; 3. Ben Jaquias, Honolulu; 4. Cody Steele, Cardiff. Heat 8--1. Michael Vos, Carlsbad; 2. Billy Oswald, Huntington Beach; 3. Bryce Aberg, San Marcos; 4. Gustavo Betancourt, Puerto Rico. Heat 9--1. Tomofumi Yoshioka, Japan; 2. Myles Padaca, Haleiwa, Hawaii; 3. Alex Little; 4. Mike Mattison, Huntington Beach. Heat 10--1. Nick Brown, Ewa Beach, Fla. 2. Issac Kaneshiro, Hawaii; 3. Chad Mitchell, Dana Point; 4. Omar Etcheverry, Santa Cruz.

Heat 11--1. Fabio Nines; 2. Jason Gantz, Hawaii; 3. Chet Moletta, Honolulu; 4. Josh Pomer, Santa Cruz. Heat 12--1. Jon Rose; 2. Pablo Diaz; 3. Chris Pollock; 4. Danny Hart. Heat 13--1. Takaiyuki Whakita, Japan; 2. Jeremy Saukel, Satellite Beach, Fla.; 3. Bruce Irons, Hanalei, Hawaii; 4. Josh Baxter. Heat 14--1. Eric Viscosi, Temecula; 2. Homer Hernard; 3. Eric McHenry; 4. Zack Acker.

Heat 15--1. Justin Harcharic; 2. Andy Irons, Hanalei, Hawaii; 3. Jim Hogan, San Clemente; 4. Brian Labbe, Ewa Beach, Fla. Heat 16--1. Mark Moreno; 2. Jordan Tappis, Calabasas; 3. Matt Forsyth; 4. Bryan Pottger.