Courtney Conlogue (USA) claims victory at the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro. Image: WSL / Kirstin
One thing is for sure: Courtney Conlogue left no question marks during her winning performance at the WSL Women’s Margaret River Drug Aware Pro. Yesterday, in gusty offshore conditions with big, powerful surf, Courtney took down defending event champ and current world number one Carissa Moore.
While Moore has been on a competitive tear as of late, winning the past three WSL events in a row, she couldn’t quite match Courtney in yesterday’s final, even after locking in a solid 8.5 score early in the heat. Courtney’s power surfing and barrel riding suited the main break at Margaret’s perfectly. Despite matching up with equally strong Tyler Wright in the quarterfinals and a very in-form Malia Manuel in the semifinals, Courtney was unstoppable on Margaret River’s right-handers. In the final, Courtney took off on big set wave after big set wave, and by the time the buzzer sounded, the Californian had secured a combined total of 16.93 and her first world tour victory.
Carissa Moore (HAW) will retain the Jeep leader jersey following a runner-up finish today at the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro. Image: WSL / Kelly Cestari
Courtney’s surfing has been razor sharp this season after coming back from a terrible injury she incurred at Bell’s last year. Competition commenters have noticed Courtney’s competitive spark and polished surfing all season, and it was only a matter of time before Courtney claimed a WSL win. While the winner’s circle has been dominated by the women’s top three (Gilmore, Moore, and Fitzgibbons) for the past year or so, Courtney was only too eager to mix things up, and she was on top of the world as she took the podium.
Yesterday was a great day for women’s surfing at the main break at Margaret River. In some of the biggest conditions the women’s tour has seen recently, competitors broke out their big boards and delivered outstanding performances.
Conlogue’s result has moved her way up the rankings into the second spot. Although Moore did not get the win this time, her finals appearance has further secured her first place spot with a healthy 6,000 point lead.
A big congrats to all the girls for the completion of the Australian leg, and a huge congrats to Courtney for taking out her first big win!
