SPRING 2009 NCGA Golf 45
surprised to find out that I can actually
hit a golf ball.
what does your future hold in
competitive surfing? Realistically I'm
sure that for the next five years I could
compete, maybe longer. I could still
go for world titles and put myself in
position to be competitive with the best
guys. Beyond that it's sort of unproven.
Even at my age now, I'm the oldest guy
in the surf world to ever win an event on
the world tour but I've won five of them
this year so it doesn't feel like that next
year I'm going to find my obsolescence.
I still feel like I have knowledge of what
I am doing better than anyone. That can
quickly change; the next guy to come
along could put it all together and make
me look silly. I am dreading and excited
about that day.
golfers are in their prime in their 30s,
what about surfing? I surf better now
than I ever did in my 20s. There are a lot
of guys who finish their careers and feel
like they're better surfers in their 30s.
Maybe there is something to that in golf,
it's a little more proven, people in the
golf world make a better living and have
more longevity in their sport.
In surfing, especially in your earlier
years, guys are really struggling to make
a living so they would finish their careers
at say, 28 years old, and go straight into
a desk job because you have to figure out
how to make money. Because the sport
is getting big enough, surfers are now
able to make enough money where that
is not a factor. There is more longevity
and more financial security in the sport.
More guys are able to push that and see
if they can compete at an older age.
after your experience on baywatch
--do you have any interest in getting
back into acting? No. After I won my
Oscar I got out of there. (Laughs)
talk about the importance of your
foundation. In this first year we've
raised money to give to things I believe
in. I have a friend who takes inner city
kids surfing, a lot of kids who've never
seen the beach. Another friend has an
autistic son and created an organization
that takes autistic kids surfing. These
kids don't speak and have never been
in the water and it's been life changing.
Surf Rider Foundation, with grass-root
efforts in Orange County and San Diego,
has been fighting this toll road that has
the potential to ruin one of the best surf
breaks in California. We support those
types of organizations.
My heart is really into alternative
cancer research and diet; two things I'm
passionate about. My father passed away
from cancer about six years ago. As I've
gotten older I've grown more interested
in health. Those are the two areas I will
end up focusing the Foundation on.
describe yourself in one word?
Interested.
Looking for a wave only steps from
the 18th tee at Pebble.

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