Kauai’s Keala Kennelly drew upon every ounce of her Pipeline and competitive experience to win the 2015 Surf N Sea Pipeline Women’s Pro, a World Surf League (WSL) 1,000-point Qualifying Series (QS) event. A seasoned vet and big wave specialist who has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world, Kennelly was unstoppable in the clean 4-to-6-foot conditions in the morning and hefty double-overhead barrels in the Final.
Runner-up to Kennelly was the North Shore’s rising star Honolua Blomfield. Melanie Bartels of Waianae took third followed by Moana Jones of Haleiwa. Jones was the youngest surfer in the Final at just 15 years of age and performed beyond her years in the solid surf on hand.
From the outset of the 35-minute Final, Kennelly took a totally different approach to the other finalists, heading further west toward Off The Wall. It was there that she scored some of the biggest rides of the day, opting for high-risk vertical turns and critical closeout maneuvers that gave her an early edge. Though her opponents stayed busy, each scoring plenty of rides, Kennelly never relinquished the lead.
“I’ve been surfing out here since I was about 12, so I’ve put in a lot of time,” said Kennelly. “Being a big wave surfer definitely helped today. I’ve taken my fair share of beatings, so for sure it helps to not be intimidated when the conditions are heavy like they were today.
“The Final was tough. There were none of the barrels we had this morning, so it all came down to big turns. I watched the heat before mine and saw Anastasia Ashley get a few of those wide ones, so I definitely knew what my strategy was.”
RESULTS:
(Surfers from Hawaii unless noted otherwise. Shown in order of 1st through 4th.)
SURF N SEA PIPELINE WOMEN’S PRO, Presented by Brazilian Show Room
Final:
1st – Keala Kennelly (Kauai) – 11.85 points; 1,000 ratings points, $2,000
2nd – Honolua Blomfield (Haleiwa) – 9.1 points; 750 ratings points, $900
3rd – Melanie Bartels (Waianae) – 7.9 points; 560 ratings points, $600
4th – Moana Jones (Haleiwa) – 5.8 points; 525 ratings points, $500
Semi-Finals:
H1: Keala Kennelly; Honolua Blomfield; Natalie Anzivino (USA); Jessica Anderson (CHL)
H2: Melanie Bartels; Moana Jones; Anastasia Ashley (USA); Bianca Valenti (USA)
Quarter Finals:
H1: Keala Kennelly; Jessica Anderson (CHL); Zoe McDougall; Sophia Bartlow
H2: Honolua Blomfield; Natalie Anzivino (USA); Emilia Perry; Bailey Nagy
H3: Anastasia Ashley (USA); Moana Jones; Frankie Harrer (USA); Kahanu Delovio
H4: Bianca Valenti (USA); Melanie Bartels; Brittany Penaroza; Hannah Van Veen
Continuation of Round of 32 from Tuesday…
H5: Frankie Harrer (USA); Brittany Penaroza; Kelta O’Rourke; Pomare Dreisziger (CHL)
H6: Moana Jones; Hanna Van Veen; Terumi Nakajima (n/s); Cayla Moore (n/s)
H7: Bianca Valenti (USA); Anastasia Ashley (USA); Malia Ward (USA); Brittany Gomulka
H8: Melanie Bartels; Kahanu Delovio; Emily Nishimoto; Jamilah Starr
PIPE PRO JUNIOR MEN’S:
(Surfers from Hawaii unless noted otherwise. Shown in order of 1st through 4th.)
Round of 64:
H1: Tomas Tudela (PER); Luke Shepardson; Shayden Pacarro; Tomas King (CRI)
H2: Ryland Rubens (USA); Skip McCullough (USA); Taylor Clark (USA); Wyatt McHale
H3: Nic Hdez (USA); John Mel (USA); Kain Daly; Timothee Bisso (GLP)
H4: Kalani David; Eala Stewart; Wil Reid (USA); Riley Laing (AUS)
H5: Jake Marshall (USA); Makai McNamara; Noah Collins (USA); Kala Willard
H6: Seth Moniz; Daniel Glenn (USA); Ulualoha Napeahi; Jacob Szekely
H7: Kanoa Igarashi (USA); Benji Brand; Lucca Mesinas Novaro (PER); Hunter Johnson
H8: Colt Ward (USA); Cody Young; Josh Benjoya (USA); Imaikalani Devault
H9: Kona Oliveira; Jordy Collins (USA); Cam Richards (USA); Wilem Banks
Trials Heat 1: Seth Moniz; Cody Young; Tomas King (CRI); Christopher Bluthardt; John McElgunn (USA); Logan Bediamol
Trials Heat 2: Josh Moniz; Alex Pendleton; Wilem Banks; Julian Burke (USA); Makana Pang; Kelson Lau