Kennelly conquers surf at Turtle Bay

Advertiser Staff

Kaua'i's Keala Kennelly showed off the versatility of a world champion yesterday, winning the Turtle Bay Resort Women's Pro in 2- to 4-foot surf on O'ahu's North Shore.

Kennelly, 25, dominated the 30-minute, four-woman final of the 4-star World Qualifying Series event.

She posted a two-wave total of 16.06 points to win her first Vans Triple Crown of Surfing event and the $3,500 first-place prize.

"Turtle Bay is a really tough wave to surf," said Kennelly, better known for her tube-riding skills and ability to conquer giant waves. "The swells just come in and peak up all over the place. My strategy was to just go out there and catch a million waves and hope that some of them would turn out. Thankfully, they did and I had a few that linked up all the way and scored well."

The victory gives Kennelly, the current points leader on the World Championship Tour, momentum going into the Billabong Pro on Maui, Dec. 8-20.

Hawai'i's Megan Abubo finished second at Turtle Bay with 11.7 points, ensuring her return to the WCT next year.

"It's such a relief," Abubo said. "I'm just stoked to be able to go to Maui with no pressure. It's been pretty stressful this last couple of weeks, but now I'm looking forward to having some fun in the last event of the Triple Crown."

Peru's Sofia Mulanovich (11.43 points) finished third, and Australia's Rebecca Woods (9.84) placed fourth.