Hurley US Open of Surfing

U.S. Open Nike 6.0 Pro Junior

ASP 6-Star WQS Mens event
ASP 6-Star WQS Womens event
ASP Grade 2 Mens Pro Junior event
ASP Grade 4 Womens Pro Junior event
Huntington Beach California
18 - 26 July 2009

Live Coverage  |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

Local Surfer Courtney Conlogue Wins Hurley U.S. Open, Manuel Takes Nike 6.0 Pro Junior

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 25 July, 2009 : - - Huntington Beach -- Courtney Conlogue (Santa Ana, CA), 15, won the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star Hurley U.S. Open today over defending event champion Malia Manuel (Wailua, HI), 15, who claimed the U.S. Open Nike 6.0 Pro Junior, in a high-scoring Final in six-to-eight foot (2 metre) surf today at South Huntington Beach Pier.

Surfers competing at the prestigious Hurley U.S. Open event are battling for the important ratings points on offer towards qualification for the ASP World Tour.

Conlogue won the hard-fought battle over the young Hawaiian with huge backside blasts on the steep lefthanders in the Final to log a 9.00 and an 8.17 in her score line, placing the defending champion in a combination situation. Each of the impressive scores earned by the Huntington Beach local were awarded with one single maneuver, allowing her to take out her first major ASP WQS victory.

“I’m pretty much speechless,” Conlogue said. “Malia (Manuel), she’s an amazing surfer and to win that heat was to die for. I want to thank Malia for putting on a good Final with me. I’m so stoked to have had that Final with her. I was just going out there and having fun and that’s what I’ve been doing this whole contest and it ended up working out. I’m going to try and carry that throughout all of my contests this year.”

The young American’s victory today 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 frontrunner 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.

“I’ve got to finish school first, but definitely the ASP World Tour is coming soon enough,” Conlogue said.

Malia Manuel put on a banner performance throughout the entire Hurley U.S. Open, and claimed the U.S. Open Nike 6.0 Pro Junior en route to her runner-up ASP WQS finish. Manuel’s Final berth was no easy feat, as she defeated reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (Tweed Heads, AUS), 21, in the women’s main event.

“I’m so over the moon even to make it to the final day,” Manuel said. “It was great out there. Courtney is an amazing athlete and she was the deserving heat winner.”

Manuel took out her U.S. Open Nike 6.0 Pro Junior title in dramatic fashion when she nabbed a last-minute wave to overtake the win over Sage Erickson (Ojai, CA), 18, who finished in second, defeating fellow finalists Cannelle Bulard (REU), who finished in third and current ASP World Tour rookie Coco Ho (Sunset Beach, HI), 18, who finished fourth.

“I’m glad I had the Pro Junior to fall back on,” Manuel said. “Surfing against Coco (Ho) was great and Sage (Erickson) almost had it in the bag and some miraculous wave came and I got to pick it up and got a score. I’m just happy to be here today and surf in both finals.”

The young regular-footer is now ready to start gaining more ASP WQS experience to eventually make a push towards qualification for the ASP Women’s World Tour.

“I think it’s time to put my foot through the door and do a couple of WQS events,” Manuel said. “I’m in no rush, I’m only 15, so I’m just going to get some experience going on and hope for the best and hopefully in a couple of years I’ll be doing what Coco (Ho) and Steph (Gilmore) are doing right now."

Men’s Hurley U.S. Open competition started the day off today and witnessed reining nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (Cocoa Beach, FL), 37, blast a perfect 10-point-ride with a committing backside barrel to continue his campaign as the frontrunner of Hurley U.S. Open action. The Floridian Champion followed up the score with an 8.50 to notch the highest heat total of ASP WQS 6-Star competition for the second consecutive day.

“I’m stoked,” Slater said. “There are big, huge, walled close-outs, but there are a few corners out there. The tide is coming in and it’s not as hollow as this morning, there were probably a few barrels out there. That first one I got was so big, it just barreled. I started grabbing rail as I was going down the face, and doing a slow, long bottom turn, trying to brush off some speed. I was thinking, did I dork this, because for I second I didn’t think it was going to barrel. Then it started to pitch. I was starting to think I would look really silly trying to grab rail mid-face on a wave that didn’t barrel. I was hoping I could get out of it and get a hit, but it was just too quick.”

Tomorrow will conclude Hurley U.S. Open action and will crown men’s ASP WQS and U.S. Open Nike 6.0 Pro Junior Champions by day’s end. Fuel TV is providing the first ever high definition LIVE webcast of the contest which can be found via usopenofsurfing.com

Check the Live Action  

Women’s Hurley U.S. Open Final Results:
1 – Courtney Conlogue (USA) 17.17
2 – Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.67

Women’s Hurley U.S. Open Semifinals Results:
Heat 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 11,17 def Laura Enever (AUS) 6.27
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 11.33 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 7.47

Hurley U.S. Open Round of 16 Results: (1st and 2nd advance)
Heat 1: Brett Simpson (USA) 14.93, def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 13.50
Heat 2: Nathaniel Curran (USA) 6.60 def. Alain Riou (PYF) 5.97
Heat 3: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 15.23 def. Eric Geiselman (USA) 7.96
Heat 4: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.17 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 11.30
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.50 def. Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 10.00
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.50 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 9.90
Heat 7: Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.40 def. Rob Machado (USA) 10.50
Heat 8: Mick Muscroft (AUS) 12.00 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 7.84

U.S. Open Nike 6.0 Pro Junior Semifinals Results: (1st and 2nd advance)
Heat 1: Kai Barger (HAW) 14.53, Dillon Perillo (USA) 13.17, Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.04, Kaimana Jaquias (HAW) 2.27
Heat 2: Tonino Benson (HAW) 13.07, Nat Young (USA) 10.93, Matt Pagan (USA

Previous reports:
# 1 : Hurley US Open to draw 400 surfers, 400,000 spectators
# 2 : Hurley US Open of Surfing keeps contest tradition going
# 3 : Rob Machado aims at Hurley US Open of Surfing title #4

# 4 : Hurley U.S. Open honors 50 years of contests at the Pier 
# 5 : Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing to offer $100,000 to winner 
# 6 : Internationals land on California soil for Hurley US Open

# 7 : Defending champions prepare to guard US Open titles
# 8 : The Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing to host massive festival
# 9 : Top seeds start strong at U.S. Open Nike 6.0 Pro Junior 

# 10 : Hurley U.S. Open trialists go: Coco Ho leads Nike Jr Pro 
# 11 : Nat Young posts top scores at Hurley U.S. Open of Surf 
# 12 : Kelly & Steph give big performances at Hurley US Open

# 13 : Top seeds start strong at U.S. Open Nike 6.0 Pro Junior 
# 14 : Bombing swell brings big scores to the Hurley US Open

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www.aspnorthamerica.org
www.usopenofsurfing.com

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