When the waves come up big, so does Makuakai Rothman.

The waves were big for all five days that the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing men's contest ran at Sunset Beach, so fittingly, Rothman won the whole thing yesterday.

The final day of the event was run yesterday in wave-face heights that ranged from 10 to 20 feet.

Rothman, who grew up at Sunset Beach, won it in dramatic fashion, scoring a near-perfect wave in the closing minutes of the 35-minute final.

"I was just like the UH Warriors — clutch at the end," Rothman said with a laugh.

But instead of thinking about the BCS like the UH football team, Rothman is now a contender for the TCS — Triple Crown of Surfing.

The O'Neill World Cup of Surfing was the second of three events in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Yesterday was Rothman's first victory in a Triple Crown contest, and it came at a beach where he learned how to surf.

"It means everything to me," said Rothman, 23. "I grew up right here. I bled, cried, got my (butt) kicked, everything, right here on this beach."

Rothman was in second place for most of the heat, but he stayed true to his knowledge of the spot. When the other finalists paddled deep in search of bigger waves, Rothman stayed inside.

Sure enough, he was in perfect position for one of the biggest waves of the final heat as time was winding down.

"I know that (wave), I surfed here all my life," he said. "The wave came, I paddled as hard as I could, and the rest is history."

Needing a score of 9.01, Rothman tucked into a short barrel, made it out, then proceeded to complete two precise carving maneuvers in the open section. The judges rewarded him with a score of 9.5 (out of 10).

His two-wave total of 16.33 was enough to win the $15,000 first-place check.

Brazil's Leonardo Neves led for the first 32 minutes of the heat, and finished a heartbreaking second with a two-wave score of 15.84.

"The final was five minutes longer (than the semifinals), and I lost in the last three minutes," Neves said. "But that's OK because I got to surf good waves today, perfect waves."

Actually, strong winds made for challenging conditions during the final in the late afternoon.

Australia's Mick Fanning — who clinched the 2007 world championship last month — placed third yesterday and said the conditions were difficult.

"Usually, you just have to contend with the wave," he said. "It's hard enough to ride without all the wind ... you got two-foot chop coming up the face (of the wave) so it's a bit tricky."

Another Australian, Daniel Ross, placed fourth and won the "Breakout Performance Award." He recorded some of the best scores of the contest in the earlier rounds, but appeared to run out of momentum in the final.

However, Ross did qualify for the 2008 World Championship Tour because of his performance.

But the star of the day was Rothman, even though he does not regularly compete in contests. Yet, he is internationally known as a big-wave surfer.

"I know I surf as good as these guys when the waves are good," he said. "When (the waves are) 1 foot, ankle-slapping beach break, I might not be the best guy. But when the waves are good, bring it on."

Indeed, Rothman burst on the surfing scene in 2002 when he was awarded $66,000 for riding the biggest wave of that year — a 66-foot wave off Maui.

"I'm not your average contest surfer," he said. "So I have to go for the Triple Crown."

After two of the three events in the overall Triple Crown standings, Australian Bede Durbidge is in first. Kaua'i's Roy Powers — who won the first contest at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach — is in second. Rothman is fifth.

The final event of the Triple Crown, the Billabong Pipeline Masters, is scheduled to run Dec. 8 to 20 at the Banzai Pipeline.

Among other Hawai'i surfers yesterday, Wai'anae's Sunny Garcia was eliminated in the semifinals and tied for fifth place. He owns a record six Triple Crown championships, and needed to win yesterday's final to have a shot at his seventh.

Maui's Ian Walsh was also eliminated in the semifinals.

Brazil's Jihad Khodr was named the Nose Guard Triple Crown Rookie of the Year.

FINAL RESULTS

1, Makuakai Rothman (Hawai'i), $15,000. 2, Leonardo Neves (Brazil), $7,500. 3, Mick Fanning (Australia), $4,000. 4, Daniel Ross (Australia), $3,000. 5 (tie), Adrian Buchan (Australia) and Sunny Garcia (Hawai'i), $2,500. 7 (tie), Ian Walsh (Hawai'i) and Dayyan Neve (Australia), $2,200. 9 (tie), Dane Reynolds (California), Bede Durbidge (Australia), T.J. Barron (Hawai'i) and Jordy Smith (South Africa), $1,700. 13 (tie), Rodrigo Dornelles (Brazil), Nic Muscroft (Australia), Bruce Irons (Hawai'i) and Taj Burrow (Australia), $1,600.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.