Cowabunga Conlogue

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HUNTINGTON BEACH — The victory proved to be Courtney Conlogue’s biggest so naturally there was cause for some unprecedented celebration.

Moments after being named the women’s champion of the Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing, Conlogue, a Sage Hill School incoming senior, was carried on the shoulders of adoring fans on the way to the awards stage along the shore of Huntington Beach Saturday. It was a dramatic scene. Conlogue raised an American flag above her shoulders, as she was carried.

“That was my first time being carried and hopefully there will be more,” said Conlogue, who dethroned the defending champion, Malia Manuel, and won a surprise $10,000, an upgrade from the original $4,500 that had been set for the winner prior to the event.

Aside from the money, Conlogue called the title her biggest, a true jewel, an Assn. of Surfing Professionals World Qualifying Series Six-Star win.

It was big for other reasons, too.

“It means a lot to have it [near] my hometown and to have it in the backyard,” said Conlogue, 16, a Santa Ana resident. “To have all my fans cheering was really cool.”

Conlogue carried momentum she acquired in earlier heats into the final. Against Manuel, she scored 8.17 on her first wave to move ahead. Then Conlogue put herself way out in front on the next set, scoring a 9.0, drawing cheers from the crowd that lined the shores and filled Huntington Beach Pier. An estimated 70,000 were on hand for Saturday’s action.

“When I dropped in, I was just like, ‘I’m going to try to seal it down and put the nail in the coffin on this one,’” Conlogue said of her 9-point wave score. “I just went as big as I could like I did [Friday] and figured that’s all I could do out here and just have fun while doing it.

“I just went as big as I could. It was go big or go home.”

Two years ago, Conlogue became the youngest female to reach the semifinals at the Open. Last year, she did not reach the semifinals. But today she broke through and did it against the defending champ, Manuel, who is 15.

“I go into every heat just as if it’s a normal person or a normal competitor,” Conlogue said. “[But] I was kind of nervous personally before my heat because she was the defending champ and all I could was do what I know. And that’s what I do best is go for it and have fun while doing it. I think what you have to do is enjoy what you’re doing and hopefully you can end up on the top while doing it.”

Earlier in the day, Manuel claimed the U.S. Open Nike Pro Junior title. On Friday, she beat two-time ASP women’s world champion Stephanie Gilmore in the quarterfinals. Manuel had momentum, too, but ran into a hotter Conlogue in the final.

“Courtney is very powerful and she is a strong athlete,” Manuel said. “She’s a deserving heat winner so I’m very happy for her ... Things really didn’t go my way. That’s how it goes.”

The Open concludes today with the men’s final. The action begins with the quarterfinals at 8 a.m.

Brett Simpson of Huntington Beach will surf against Nathaniel Curran in a quarterfinal. In other matchups: Patrick Gudauskas vs. C.J. Hobgood; Adriano de Souza vs. Kelly Slater; Michael Bourez vs. Mick Fanning.

The semifinals are scheduled to start at 9:40 a.m. and the final at 12:40 p.m. The winner will be awarded $100,000.