His name is now engraved on the prestigious World Cup of Surfing trophy, taking his place alongside the likes of four time world champion Mark Richards (Australia), two time world champ Tom Carroll (Australia) and tube-riding legend Shaun Tomson (South Africa). The G_SHOCK World Cup of Surfing Presented by Zeal Optics is the second men's contest in the Red Dog Triple Crown of Surfing.

Second and third place in the final went to California's Shane Beschen, ($2,500, Santa Cruz), and Adam Replogle ($2,000, Santa Cruz) and in fourth place was lone Hawaiian rookie Myles Padaca, (1,700), originally from Hilo on the Big Island. The lead changed hands more than a dozen times in the final and it was only nerves of steel from Paterson which saw him surpass the consistency and sterling performances of his more experienced rivals.

Posting the top scoring ride of the final - 8.83 points - with less than 10 minutes on the clock, Paterson bounced from obscurity to within a chance. A horrible wipeout caught him in the impact zone for more than five minutes and threatened to keep him from scoring the 3.31 points he needed to jump to first place. Strong side-shore winds blew the announcers heat scores away, and unaware of the score he lacked Paterson took off on a short ride within the last 40 seconds but kicked out, thinking it wouldn't be enough. The crowd on the beach breathed a collective sigh of disappointment. But the West Australian from Yallingup scratched back into position on the inside to sew up the victory in the last 10 seconds.

The final score after each surfer's top three rides was an even 20 points for Paterson, 18.97 for Beschen, 18.67 for Replogle and 17.90 for Padaca.

"My shaper made me a surfboard in one day and Jake brought it over for me. I rode it all day, it's unbelievable!" said Paterson. "I felt like I was gaining momentum from one heat to the next today, especially after I got that perfect 10 in the semi's. It's freaky pulling into tube-rides out there. When the claw comes down it comes down hard and you've just got to hold on with all you've got and hope you can make it. Everybody knows that tube rides are the ultimate move and that's what I love to do.

"It's a dream. This is the greatest thing that's ever happened in my life. I didn't think it was going to happen. At the start everyone was getting waves and I wasn't. I knew I was in fourth and I thought I needed a giant score, but all I really needed was a 3.31. I only got it in the last 10 seconds," Paterson said.

"It's incredible. I surfed all the way through from the very first round and now here I am. I can't believe people are going to read my name on the same trophy as M.R., Tom Carroll and Shaun."

The great news didn't just stop with a win. The victory earns Paul a start in the prestigious Chiemsee Pipe Masters trials in the coming week and it also looks as if he will win the Triple Crown Rookie award.

The day turned into a double whammy of Patersons as Paul's younger brother Jake, 23, was declared the Coca-Cola/ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) champion for 1996. The G-Shock World Cup was the last WQS tournament of the 1996 surfing season.

At the start it looked as if 25-year-old Adam Replogle was the man to beat, posting three consistent scores whilst Beschen and Padaca had one, and Paterson was scoreless. Boasting a highly polished big-wave style developed in the icy waters of Steamers Lane, Santa Cruz, Replogle looked right at home in the broiling waters of Sunset Beach. It was only a last ride for Paterson and a final wave for Beschen in the closing 10 seconds which saw Replogle bumped to third. World number two Beschen was equal favorite for the final after averaging eight points across the board for all of his rides in the fourth round and quarter finals.

Miles Padaca, 25, from Haleiwa, locked into gear mid-way through the final with a solid 10 foot ride that scored him 8.07 points. Not only did it bring him back in with a chance, but it put the fire under his rivals who were forced to turn up the heat even more to stave off the Hawaiian.

Today's events were not just a test of surfing ability but also physical and mental endurance. Competitors were forced to deal with challenging side-shore winds and clean-up 12 foot sets which steamed through the lineup at random, resulting in broken surfboards and dashed hopes for many contenders.

Four Australians were eliminated in the semi-finals with former world champion Barton Lynch and Michael Rommelse, both from Sydney's Avalon Beach, finishing in equal fifth. Two-time world champion Damien Hardman (Narrabeen) and Matt Hoy (Newcastle) finished equal ninth.

The highest placed Brazilian was Peterson Rosa. Rosa lost in third place in the quarter finals to Paterson and Hardman and finished equal ninth overall.

Hawaiian Kaipo Jaquias, who won the first Triple Crown event - the OP Pro at Haleiwa, lost today in the quarter finals to Rommelse and Padaca, but leads the Triple Crown list. Jaquias, 24, from Kauak, will be looking for a strong showing in the Chiemsee Pipe Masters. The Pipe Masters begins Tuesday, December 10, waves pending.

The new Top 44 surfers who will make the line-up for the elite 1997 Coca-Cola/ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) - the tour which determines the world champion of surfing each year, consists of the Top 28 rated surfers from the 1996 WCT tour and the top 16 finishers on the World Qualifying Series (WQS) tour.

The G-Shock World Cup of Surfing was the final event on the WQS tour, the top 16 surfers to advance onto the WCT for 1997 will not be known until the conclusion of next week's Chiemsee Pipe Masters. There are a handful of WCT surfers who are not rated within the WCT top 28 and who may therefore need to take up their Top 44 position from the WQS ratings.

The hotline number for updated, recorded contest information is: 808/638-5024

Media information:
Carol Hogan or Jodi Holmes
808/638-5533. Fax: 808/638-5008

Websites:
http://holoholo.org/triplecrown/
http://www.asp-intl.org/
http://www.extremesportscast.com/