The Rothman name has a lot of weight in surfing. Fast Eddie, of course, with hands like pressed hams and a frightening undercurrent of violence in his veins, but also Makua and Koa, too.

Luckily, finals day was the latter. And Koa Rothman, North Shore native and perennial Pipeline standout, won the individual division with a perfect score. The wave, alone, bagged him $5k ...