Molly Picklum Achieves First Perfect Score, Advances to Pipe Pro Title Decider

Australian surfer Molly Picklum has posted the first perfect score of her career, winning an epic semi-final against local Bettylou Sakura Johnson to reach the title decider of the Pipe Pro in Hawaii.

Organisers were rewarded for the patient approach to the event with the best conditions of the competition window on show for title-deciding day with double overhead waves on offer.

The 21-year-old Picklum took out fellow young gun Johnson in a thrilling high-quality semi at the famous Oahu break.

Picklum looked set for a spot in the title decider against American Caitlin Simmers but 18-year-old Johnson almost had the final say.

With just over 20 seconds remaining in the heat, Johnson pulled into a huge barrel and exited, celebrating her finish.

But her score of 8.33 gave her a total of 15.33, leaving her just short of Picklum’s 15.66.

World No.5 Picklum had laid down the challenge earlier in the heat when she flew through a barrel on her backhand side to earn a perfect score of 10, which was the first of the women’s competition.

“I feel like for me personally, there’s no more fitting place than Pipe to give me my first 10,” the NSW surfer said.

“I’m just so, so happy – 10 points, it’s hard to come by.

“With the wave I was just like, Bettylou’s not going and I need a score and I know she’s capable of a 10 so I just took off and I just thought, it’s got some draw to it and I may as well roll the dice and try.

“But 10 points, I love it, I want more.”

Simmers, who is also only 18, took down Brisa Hennessy in the other semi-final.

She only rode two scoring waves but her tally of 7.67 was enough to down the Costa Rican, who only managed 2.84.

Earlier, world No.2 Ethan Ewing made an early exit on finals day, taken out by Sydneysider Connor O’Leary, who last year switched his allegiance to Japan in the hope of locking in an Olympic berth,

O’Leary’s mother Akemi Karasawa is a former Japanese surfing champion but the world No.11 grew up in Cronulla.

O’Leary locked in a two-wave total of 11.50 while world No.2 Ewing could only manage 2.73.

The young Queenslander was crunched in a big wave which snapped his board in half and never managed to get back in the game.

In his first semi-final appearance at Pipeline, O’Leary was outclassed by Hawaiian Barron Mamiya.

The 24-year-old posted two scores of 9.07 and 9.77 for an unbeatable tally of 18.84, while O’Leary scored 7.43.