SAN ONOFRE - C.J. Hobgood stood on stage at the awards ceremony. With a microphone in one hand and a giant check in the other, he uttered a proclamation that was clearly made in jest.

"I'm a real jerk out in the water," he said with a smile.

Sometimes that's necessary to survive in the cut-throat culture of the Men's World Qualifying Series, where there is no rider priority. That's especially true when good waves are a rarity, as they were for Saturday's Jeep-Body Glove Surf Bout at Lower Trestles.

It seemed to be a breeding ground for tension, but not with Hobgood out there. Friendly banter was the norm during the finals, when martial law is usually in effect. While there were a few paddle battles for positioning on a good wave, the four finalists let surfing take center stage.

Hobgood clearly won out, as he worked 15.36 points out of the 2-3-foot surf to win the event and the lion's share of the prize purse. The 500 WQS points he earned don't mean much to Hobgood, who has been on the World Championship Tour since 1996.

"A win is always important, no matter where it is," said Hobgood, the 2001 WCT overall champion. "They're so hard to come by in this sport that you really have to enjoy them when you can. I'll celebrate this for a day and then get back to business."

He'll get going again on Friday at the WCT's Billabong Pro Teahupoo, where he hopes his winning ways will carry over on a much bigger stage. He should also take solace from his most recent victory, given that it came against two other WCT competitors and a rising star in Huntington Beach's Shaun Ward.

"The heat was really close the entire time," Hobgood said. "I just as easily could've finished fourth today."

He took the top spot with a pair of solid waves on which he used fins-free maneuvers and strong snaps to carve the surf all the way to the inside.

Australian Dayyan Neve finished second with 14.06, Gabe Kling took third with 13.74 and Ward took fourth with 12.43.

"We were having a good time out there, but still trying to put our best foot forward," Neve said. "It was an exciting final, and C.J. had a great heat."

There were a few North County residents who performed fairly well in the event.

Oceanside's Chris Abad and Carlsbad resident Heath Walker were both eliminated in the quarterfinals, and Carlsbad's Che Stang went out in the round of 64.

- Contact staff writer Scott Bair at (760) 739-6642 or sbair@nctimes.com.