Quality over quantity proved to be the winning strategy for Koa Enriquez.

Enriquez earned his first professional victory yesterday, winning the pro-am division of China Uemura's 23rd Annual Longboard Surfing Classic.

The final was run in 1- to 2-foot waves at Kuhio Beach, Waikiki. It was the first of four days of longboard surfing in China Uemura's Classic.

"This is my biggest win," said Enriquez, 19, who is from Puna on the Big Island. "It's the first time I even made the final against the pros."

Enriquez still holds amateur status, and he plans to enter the amateur division of the Classic for his age-group tomorrow.

"I hope they still let me surf against the amateurs," Enriquez said after receiving the $1,500 first-place check. "I wasn't expecting this."

Enriquez won despite riding just two waves in the 30-minute final.

"That's all you need," he said. "I knew it was going to be a long heat, so I didn't want to go after every little wave. I wanted to get more than two (waves), but it worked out, so I'll take it."

Enriquez's two waves received scores of 7.83 and 5.6 for a total of 13.43.

Kai Sallas would have won the contest, but he was assessed an interference penalty. Sallas had the best wave of the final with a 9.17, but the interference penalty reduced his second scoring wave from a 6.1 to a 3.05, giving him a total of 12.22.

"I'm kind of bummed," Sallas said. "I flew all the way back here and would have won, but they called me on a stupid situation."

Sallas will return to California today to compete in the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing, where he is in the final of the longboard division.

Sallas and Keegan Edwards paddled for the same wave, prompting the interference call from the judges. Edwards, however, said it should not have been called.

"I wasn't intentionally trying to get the (interference)," Edwards said. "We're actually good friends — we were just playing around out there. I understand why they called it, but they didn't have to."

Kekoa Uemura, the son of China Uemura, placed third and Edwards was fourth.

Every surfer in the pro-am division got to surf at least three preliminary heats. The top four performers from those heats advanced to the final.

"I liked the format," Enriquez said. "It gave everybody a chance to get waves."

The Classic has been run by China Uemura and his family every year since 1985. He started the event as his way of giving back to the surfing community that supported him when he was a competitor.

The Classic will continue today with a Hawai'i/Japan invitational contest. The amateur divisions will run tomorrow and Sunday.

FINAL PRO-AM DIVISION RESULTS

1, Koa Enriquez, $1,500. 2, Kai Sallas, $800. 3, Kekoa Uemura, $400. 4, Keegan Edwards, $400. 5, Ned Snow. 6, Kekoa Auwae. 7, Dino Miranda. 8, Kapono Nahina. 9, Isaac Kaneshiro. 10, Geodee Clark.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.