Conlogue wins TSB Bank NZ Surf Festival

Courtney Conlogue, a former Sage Hill School athlete, claimed the TSB Bank NZ Surf Festival Saturday over Coco Ho in clean two- to three-foot waves at Taranki’s Fitzroy Beach in New Zealand.

The dramatic final featured two of surfing’s rising stars, Conlogue and Ho, on event No. 4 of seven on the ASP Women’s World Championship Tour.

Conlogue, a Huntington Beach resident, came out on top with 14 points over Ho’s 9.27.

“I put in a lot of hard work between last year and this year and I’m stoked to have it paying off with a win,” Conlogue told surfersvillage.com. “I’ve felt like I’ve been surfing well all year and have been building momentum up until this point. Really happy about today.”

Conlogue’s win bumps the 20-year-old Santa Ana resident from fifth to No. 3 on the ASP Women’s WCT rankings, within striking distance of the world surfing crown throughout the back half of the season.

Highlights from the TSB Bank NZ Surf Festival are available at nzsurffestival.co.nz. The next stop on the ASP Women’s World Championship Tour is the Billabong Rio Pro May 8-14 in Brazil.

“We’re halfway through so there is still opportunity ahead,” Conlogue said. “Carissa [Moore] and Tyler [Wright] have had such strong starts to the season and didn’t have as strong performances here so it’s opened up the race a bit. I’m feeling confident in my surfing and I’m going to give it a good run in Brazil.”

— From staff reports