Posted at 9:01 p.m., Sunday, July 29, 2007
Surfing: Big Island's Benson wins junior pro division
Advertiser Staff
Tonino Benson from the Big Island won the junior pro division of the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing today.The final day of the contest was completed in 1- to 2-foot waves at Huntington Beach, Calif.
Benson, 17, postponed a trip to Japan for another contest so he could compete in yesterday's final.
"I'm so stoked I didn't end up going to Japan early," Benson said. "I was considering heading there ... but I decided that this would be a better opportunity for me. The competition was super stiff with Jordy (Smith) and Mason (Ho) and Chris (Waring) there so to come away with the win is a real honor."
Benson received scores of 7.27 and 6.67 for his two best waves for a total of 13.94. He earned $2,500 for the victory.
Waring from California placed second, Smith from South Africa was third, and Ho from Sunset Beach, O'ahu, was fourth.
In the men's professional division, Dustin Cuizon from Ewa Beach tied for third place.
Former world champion C.J. Hobgood defeated Cuizon in the semifinals, 15.0-14.33. Cuizon needed a score of 7.21 to win the heat in the closing minutes, but he received a score of 6.2 on his last wave.
Hobgood went on to win the contest.
In the longboard division, Kai Sallas of Honolulu placed fourth. Colin McPhillips of California won the division.
The U.S. Open of Surfing is the largest contest in California, although it does not count toward the World Championship Tour.
