Nathaniel Curran scored the biggest win of his career Sunday as he took home the U.S. Open of Surfing title in Huntington Beach, CA.  Curran defeated Tim Boal by a score of 11.66 to 10.70, though conditions were less than ideal.  The win boosted Curran to the top of the WQS rankings.

To reach the finals Curran had to get by Gabe Kling while hometown favorite Brett Simpson fell to Tim Boal, 11.93 to 12.00.

Get a full recap of the action in the press release below…

Nathaniel Curran Wins ASP WQS 6-Star Honda U.S. Open, Takes ASP WQS Ratings Lead

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California (Sunday, July 27, 2008) – Nathaniel Curran (Oxnard, CA) has claimed the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O’Neill and the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) ratings lead. The win marks Curran’s first major event victory and his first time atop the ASP WQS ratings.

Curran beat France’s Tim Boal (Hossegor, FRA) in one-to-three foot (1 metre) surf at Huntington Beach Pier this afternoon – the final day of the 10-day competition. His ASP 6-Star victory saw him defeat a field of 192 competitors at the biggest WQS event in North America and the most attended event in professional surfing.

‘I’m so pumped I don’t even know what to say,’ Curran said. ‘Everyone was getting me really pumped up because I really wanted to win and I’m stoked. I just tried to keep myself cool and composed the whole time. I was just trying to keep it in rhythm and keep going.’

Winning four heats today, Curran maintained his form to take out the final despite fatigue from surfing three heats earlier in the day. Curran defeated Boal 11.66 to 10.70, both out of a possible 20 point score, by taking advantage of the few waves on offer in the deteriorating conditions.

‘I was giving it everything I had and we surfed so many heats today,’ Curran said. ‘Tim Boal did an awesome job and I’m just stoked with the win.’

By claiming the biggest win of his career and jumping to No. 1 on the current ASP WQS ratings, Curran increases his chances of qualifying for the 2009 ASP World Tour. The top 15 WQS surfers at year’s end earn berths onto the elite tour.

‘I’m super stoked to be the new WQS No. 1,’ Curran said. ‘It’s tough because there are so many good guys. I’m just trying to focus on each heat and take it one contest at a time. I think all of the training and staying focused is paying off.’

Runner-up Boal, now rated No. 18 on the ASP WQS, put together an excellent effort in his Final battle against Curran, unfortunately he was unable to find the scores needed to claim the U.S. Open Title.
‘I’m upset that I lost,’ Boal said. ‘I’m happy with the points, but I would have liked to come away with the win.’

Brett Simpson (Huntington Beach, CA) finished equal 3rd overall ‘ the best result by a Huntington Beach local in the event. Simpson netted some of the event’s highest scores but was unable to earn a final berth over a dominating Boal. His notable effort at the Honda U.S. Open saw him move from No. 15 to No. 7 on the WQS ratings.

Gabe Kling (St. Augustine, FL) earned his highest WQS result of the year with an equal 3rd alongside Simpson. Kling beat fellow former ASP World Tour surfer Shaun Cansdell (Emerald Beach, AUS), WQS standout Nathan Yeomans (San Clemente, CA) and ASP World Tour rookie Jordy Smith (Durban, ZAF) on the way to his semifinal finish.

Taylor Jensen (San Clemente, CA) claimed the O’Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding pres. by Honda title with a combination of traditional longboarding moves and aggressive top-turns. Jensen’s victory over fellow finalists Noah Shimabukuro (Oceanside, CA), Ned Snow (North Shore, HI) and Tony Silvagni (Kerry Beach, NC), earned him his second U.S. Open title ‘ he first won the event in 2003.

‘This is my second U.S. Open win and it feels a lot better the second time around,’ Jensen said. ‘The waves are alright for being as windy as it is in Huntington and it’s just fun to go out and surf with some friends.’

Jensen jumped out to an early lead over the competition and led the heat throughout its entirety.

‘My goal was to go out and put two decent scores on the board right off the bat,’ Jensen said. ‘I just tried to improve throughout the final and was lucky enough to be able to.’

Tanner Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA) claimed an impressive victory at the O’Neill U.S. Open Pro Junior pres. by Honda today. Gadauskas outscored Julian Wilson (Coolum, AUS), Chris Salisbury (Newport, AUS) and Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA) in a crowd-delighting display of aerial exchanges and big moves.

Wilson jumped out to an early lead with two solid scores over the field but Gudauskas chipped away at the young Australian’s points lead with a flurry of frontside airs to edge out Wilson for the win.

‘I’m on top of the world right now,’ Gudauskas said. ‘I knew it was going to take everything I had and I tried my hardest and fortunately the cards went my way. All of the boys were surfing insane all week and they’re some of my favorite surfers, so I was just stoked to be in the heat.’

The next ASP Pro Junior Series event will be the ASP Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior presented by Heritage Surf and Sport held in Sea Isle City, New Jersey from August 29-30, 2008.

GO211 LIVE feat. the Men’s Honda U.S. Open of Surfing pres. by O’Neill Results:

Final
1 – Nathaniel Curran (USA)
2 – Tim Boal (FRA)

Semifinals (1st advances)
Semifinal 1: Tim Boal (FRA) 12.00 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 11.93
Semifinal 2: Nathaniel Curran (USA) 14.00 def. Gabe Kling (USA) 11.27

Quarterfinals (1st advances)
Quarterfinal 1: Tim Boal (FRA) 15.93 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 13.34
Quarterfinal 2: Brett Simpson (USA) 14.00 def. Eric Geiselman (USA) 11.76
Quarterfinal 3: Nathaniel Curran (USA) 15.66 def. Chris Waring (USA) 10.53
Quarterfinal 4: Gabe Kling (USA) 12.17 def. Joan Duru (FRA) 12.16

Round of 16 (1st advances)
Heat 1: Dusty Payne (HAW) 14.13 def. Tim Reyes (USA) 8.16
Heat 2: Tim Boal (FRA) 12.84 def. Damien Fahrenfort (ZAF) 6.10
Heat 3: Brett Simpson (USA) 16.17 def. Cory Lopez (USA) 14.34
Heat 4: Eric Geiselman (USA) 15.17 def. Dane Gudauskas (USA) 9.67
Heat 5: Nathaniel Curran (USA) 17.57 def. Roy Powers (HAW) 9.83
Heat 6: Chris Waring (USA) 15.17 def. Torrey Meister (HAW) 9.97
Heat 7: Gabe Kling (USA) 15.94 def. Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 13.17
Heat 8: Joan Duru (USA) 14.66 def. Marlon Lipke (DEU) 12.50

O’Neill U.S. Open Pro Junior presented by Honda Results:
1 – Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
2 – Julian Wilson (AUS)
3 – Chris Salisbury (AUS)
4 – Nat Young (USA)

O’Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding presented by Honda Results:
1 – Taylor Jensen (USA)
2 – Tony Silvagni (USA)
3 – Ned Snow (HAW)
4 – Noah Shimabukuro (USA)

History was made in Huntington Beach at the U.S. Open of Surfing today as 14-year-old Malia Manuel became the youngest woman ever to win the contest.  She took the final over fellow Hawaiian Coco Ho, 17, making the finals the youngest-ever.

Ho was coming off an earlier win of the S-3 Supergirl Pro Junior and had defeated pros including Melanie Bartels and last year’s US Open winner Stephanie Gilmore before taking on Manuel, who had a tough road of her own again Sofia Mulanovich and Sally Fitzgibbons, the 18-year-old WQS phenom who has already qualified for the 2009 WCT tour.

For the men, Tim Reyes, Nathaniel Curran and Brett Simpson led the way as the top 24 were whittled down to the top 16 for the final Sunday.

Check out the results and get more info about the day’s action in the official press release below.

Coco Ho winning the Junior title.cr. ASP

Malia Manuel Makes ASP History as Youngest Ever U.S. Open Champion

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California (Saturday, July 26, 2008) – Malia Manuel (Wailua, HI), 14, has claimed the GO211 LIVE featuring the Women’s Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O’Neill over fellow finalist Coco Ho (North afternoon both young Hawaiians making ASP history as the youngest finalists ever at the Shore, HI), 17, in two-to-three foot (1 metre) surf at Huntington Beach Pier this U.S. Open.

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star event saw some incredible performances today, but none as impressive as the young Hawaiians taking down some of the biggest names in professional surfing.

“I’m so stoked right now,” Manuel said. “My sponsors gave me the wildcard into this event and I was just happy to be here. To get to surf against some of my heroes and to be in the Final with my friend Coco (Ho) is just something I would have never dreamed of.”

Sticking to her game plan throughout the event, Manuel started strong in the opening moments of the Final, securing two lengthy righthanders to post solid scores while her opponent struggled to find her footing in the challenging afternoon conditions.

“There weren’t many waves out there this afternoon which was too bad,” Manuel said. “I just got lucky that a couple linked up for me and I was able get some scores under my belt.”

Manuel issued huge upsets today, defeating former ASP Women’s World Champion and 2006 U.S. Open Champion Sofia Mulanovich (Lima, PER) in her Quarterfinals heat before posting a dominating heat win over current ASP WQS ratings leader Sally Fitzgibbons (Gerroa, AUS) as well as an impressive win over Ho en route to becoming the youngest U.S. Open Winner ever.

Ho issued her share of shocking upsets as well, defeating ASP Women’s World Tour veteran Melanie Bartels (Makaha, HI) and reigning ASP Women’s World Champion and defending U.S. Open Champion Stephanie Gilmore (Tweed Heads, AUS) on her way to the final. Ho’s potential sweep of both the women’s events was stopped by Manuel’s Honda U.S. Open Final victory.

“The conditions really came down to the one who got the wave with the wall,” Ho said. “I couldn’t find my feet and I had to watch her catch a really good right. It was just cool being in the Final, because it was my goal to just make the Quarters, so I’m over the moon.”

Fitzgibbons, who has already qualified for the 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour, finished in equal third-place behind Manuel, increasing her ASP WQS ratings lead over the field.

“Malia was surfing really well and got off to a great start and just kept going from there,” Fitzgibbons said. “It was hard to play catch-up with the waves that were coming through and she’s the deserving heat winner.”

Fitzgibbons will take a break and miss the ASP WQS 6-Star event in Portugal to recharge, but will be back and ready for when competition resumes in Hawaii.

Gilmore, who finished equal third as well, was defeated in her Semifinals heat by event standout Ho. Gilmore put in a hard-fought battle against the young North Shore native, but could not find the score she needed to advance over her opponent.

“I’ve been watching Coco (Ho) the whole event and she’s probably my favorite up-and-coming surfer,” Gilmore said. “It was cool to have a heat with her and see what her strategies are. These are some really valuable points on my WQS seeding. I’m bummed I didn’t get the win, but that’s competition.”

Gilmore will travel from the Honda U.S. Open in Huntington to France for the next ASP Women’s World Tour event, where the Rip Curl Pro Mademoiselle will take place from August 28-September 1, 2008 in Hossegor, France.

The ASP WQS women’s competitors will head from Huntington to Portugal for another ASP WQS 6-Star event, the Billabong Girls Cascais Festival, which will be held in Guincho, Portugal from July 31 – August 3, 2008

In addition to the finale of the U.S. Open Women’s event, the ASP Grade-2 S3 Supergirl Pro Junior came to a close today with Honda U.S. Open Finalist Ho claiming victory over fellow finalists Nikita Robb (East London, ZAF), Sage Erickson (Ventura, CA) and Courtney Conlogue (Santa Ana, CA) with a come-from-behind victory over Robb, edging out prodigious South African by seven tenths of a point.

“To be here standing on the beach with the crowd with the Pro Junior Title and the runner-up finish in the WQS, I’m really happy.” Ho said. “It’s been a long week of surfing and I’m going to Indo tomorrow with all of the girls that surfed in women’s Quarterfinals and just going to relax after the week.”

Robb jumped out into a commanding lead to open the ASP Grade-2 Women’s Pro Junior, but was unable to stave off the young Hawaiian.

“I started off really well and after I got those first two good waves I couldn’t find anything else,” Robb said “All the girls that were surfing out there were such amazing surfers, so you can’t really take it away from anyone. Coco is surfing well and she’s on fire and it’s just one of those things”

Erickson and Conlogue had solid showings throughout the entire event, but were unable to capitalize in the Final.

The GO211 LIVE feat. the Men’s Honda U.S. Open of Surfing pres. by O’Neill moved through the Round of 24 today, narrowing it down to the sweet 16 for tomorrow’s culmination. Today’s action saw local standout Timmy Reyes (Huntington Beach, CA) and fellow Californian Nathaniel Curran (Oxnard, CA) dominated the Round of 24, both putting in impressive performances as they moved one step closer to clinching the 2008 Honda U.S. Open title.

Reyes, current No. 14 on the ASP World Tour, finished in first over event standouts Damien Fahrenfort (Durban, ZAF), who advanced in second, and Basque native Hodei Collazo (Basque Country, ESP), by posting a solid heat total of 16.67 out of a possible 20 point score.

“I was going to miss this event because the World Tour events are so close together,” Reyes said. “It’s home and you’ve got to make time for home. Obviously it brings a little bit of stress because you want to perform well in front of your family. I’m stoked with how things went today. I was in rhythm and that’s what you have to do.”

Curran posted the day’s highest Round of 5 heat total of 17.00 out of 20 points in an action packed heat against Chris Waring (Seal Beach, CA) and Tahitian Michael Bourez (PYF).

“I knew I had two okay waves and I was just trying to back it up with a bigger score,” Curran said. “I made it through my heat so I’m stoked. I’m rated fourth on the WQS right now and this will be a good score for me, so I’m super excited.”

The final day of GO211 LIVE feat. the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing pres. by O’Neill can be seen LIVE at www.usopenofsurfing.com. For any other ASP inquires, check out www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org

GO211 LIVE feat. the Women’s Honda U.S. Open of Surfing pres. by O’Neill

Final:
1 – Malia Manuel (HAW) 14.34
2 – Coco Ho (HAW) 7.90

Semifinals Results (1st advances)
Heat 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 13.10 def. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 12.67
Heat 2: Coco Ho (HAW) 10.83 def Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 6.83

Quarterfinals (1st advances)
Heat 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.83 def. Sofia Mulanovich (USA) 13.10
Heat 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.00 def. Samantha Cornish (AUS) 1.60
Heat 3: Coco Ho (HAW) 12.00 def. Melanie Bartels (HAW) 8.23
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.67 def. Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 9.17

S-3 Supergirl Pro Junior Results:
Final:
1 – Coco Ho (HAW) 14.07
2 – Nikita Robb (ZAF) 14.00
3 – Sage Erickson (USA) 12.26
4 – Courtney Conlogue (USA) 9.60

GO211 LIVE feat. the Men’s Honda U.S. Open of Surfing pres. by O’Neill Results:
Round of 24 (1st and 2nd advance)
Heat 1: Tim Reyes (USA) 16.67, Damien Fahrenfort (ZAF) 12.33, Hodei Collazo (ESP) 10.00
Heat 2: Tim Boal (FRA) 15.84, Dusty Payne (HAW) 10.13, Nick Rozsa (USA) 9.94
Heat 3: Brett Simpson (USA) 14.03, Eric Geiselman (USA) 13.00, Chris Davidson (AUS) 5.50
Heat 4: Dane Gudauskas (USA) 12.20, Cory Lopez (USA) 12.13, Adam Melling (AUS) 8.40
Heat 5: Nathaniel Curran (USA) 17.00, Chris Waring (USA) 12.10, Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.33
Heat 6: Torrey Meister (HAW) 10.80, Roy Powers (HAW) 10.67, Kirk Flintoff (AUS) 9.67
Heat 7: Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 13.83, Marlon Lipke (DEU) 12.27, Yuri Sodre (BRA) 6.13
Heat 8: Joan Duru (FRA) 12.67, Gabe Kling (USA) 12.23, Nathan Yeomans (USA) 8.94