It was the rookie against the veteran in a Southern California surf showdown on the other side of the world.
Would it be Santa Ana’s Courtney Conlogue, who has been one of the elite surfers on the prestigious World Tour for 12 years, or the newcomer hailing from just south in Oceanside, 17-year-old Caitlin Simmers, to take the win?
After a heated battle in 8- to 10-foot surf during the Meo Rip Curl Pro in Portugal, it was the youngster who earned the prestigious title, her first World Tour win just weeks after joining the ranks of the world’s best women surfers.
Simmers, who won the U.S. Open of Surfing in 2021, is among a crop of new-wave surfers putting pressure on the older, more experienced surfers on the World Surf League’s pro tour.
When the 35-minute final heat started, Conlogue took a strong lead, nabbing a high 9-point ride by charging a big wave, tucking into the barrel and following with a powerhouse carve to secure the score.
She held onto that position for much of the heat, but needed a second score to secure it – no easy task in the messy, chopped up, beefy, unpredictable waves.
The Orange County surfer faltered on several waves, unable to hang on as the wedged-up waves knocked her off her board.
Simmers capitalized on her opponent’s missed opportunities, earning a 7.17 after quickly tucking into a barrel, doing a layback on her first turn and finishing with another hack, barely hanging onto her board as it landed back onto the water.
It wasn’t long before Simmers secured a second needed score, earning a 6.33 with just minutes left on the clock to take the lead.
Conlogue clamored for a wave, but couldn’t find one to ride to the win. The final score was 13.50 for Simmers; 12.83 for Conlogue.
“Are we seeing the new generation, are we seeing the next wave of women’s professional surfing? Is the pendulum swinging?” asked announcer Kaipo Guerrero.
For the Santa Ana surfer, it was a strong finish following two lower 17th place…
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