Going for her third straight title, Santa Barbara’s Lakey Peterson ran out of time and came up short against fellow Southern Californian Courtney Conlogue in the final of the Sri Lankan Airlines Pro ASP Women’s 6-Star contest on Sunday at Arugam Bay.
Peterson landed a huge air-reverse on her last wave, but it came just after the siren sounded to end the competition. She finished with 10.33 points to Conlogue’s 13.77.
“I was so bummed that I landed that air after the heat,” the always effervescent Peterson said. “But I’m happy with the event, I would have loved to have won, but Courtney surfed great and second is a good result for me.”
Peterson had won the U.S. Open Women’s Junior Pro and the Supergirl Pro Junior in August.
Both surfers were feeling the nerves early in the final, falling on great waves. But Conlogue, who hails from Santa Ana, got the upper hand with a 7.67 on her second scored wave and scored a 6.10 on her fourth wave to hold off Peterson.
“Lakey (Peterson) and I are great friends and have been surfing against each other for a long time,” Conlogue said. “I was nervous on that last wave, I knew it was a good one and that I’d have to push it to get a good score. Luckily I did some nice turns and won the Final. I love this place, the waves are great and I’m already looking forward to coming back next year.”
