Huntington Beach, CA - Billabong team rider Courtney Conlogue, won the ASP World Qualifying Series 6-Star Hurley U.S. Open last weekend taking down defending event champion Malia Manuel 15, in a high-scoring Final in 6-8 foot pounding surf on the South side of Huntington Beach Pier.
Conlogue got two incredibly high scoring waves (a 9.00 and an 8.17), placing the defending champion in a combination situation. Each of the impressive scores earned by the Hungtington Beach local were awarded with one single maneuver, allowing her to take out her first major ASP WQS victory.
"I have surfed this spot plenty of times and I know the break", says Conlogue, "All the girls from Steph ( Gilmore ) to Malia ( Manuel ) were ripping. I knew I needed to do as well or better than them to make it to the final."
The Santa Ana native, who travels every morning to surf Huntington or Trestles was in her element, winning the hard fought final against the defending champ with huge backside on double overhead left-hand faces."It's cool having everyone who doesn't live here who thinks its always small and mushy see that HB can get big."
The young 16-year-old's victory solidifies her as a threat to the rest of the world's finest competitive surfing talent and continues to establish the explosive regular-footer as a front-runner in the women's progressive surfing movement. After completing her educational goals, Conlogue expects to set her sights on the Women's ASP World tour.
"It is definetely substantial step towards the ASP in my surfing career, said Courtney. Having won it in my backyard, this year being HB's Centennial and the 50th year for the U.S. Open really means a lot to me. Now off to Worlds in Costa Rica to clinch the gold for the U.S. Surf Team."
