Brett Simpson is eliminated at Nike U.S. Open of Surfing

When the horn sounded, Brett Simpson pounded his fist against his surfboard. His time was up. He had become yet another local legend who failed to three-peat this year.

The two-time defending champion at the Nike U.S. Open of Surfing had placed third in his heat and was eliminated Wednesday at the Huntington Beach competition.

Simpson finished with 10.24 points, trailing first-place Thiago Camarao of Brazil (13.17) and second-place John John Florence of Hawaii (12.26). The top two finishers in each heat advance to the next round.

"I had opportunities, you know, I made a mistake on a decent wave that I was setting up good and I freaking barreled," Simpson said. "Out there right now, you don't get a ton of opportunities, and when you get them, you've got to make them count. I didn't do that."