Kelly Slater Nabs 50th ASP Tour Win

By Lisa Hoehn/Sept. 21, 2012 10:50 am EST

Kelly Slater nabbed his 50^th ASP Tour win when he dominated the Hurley Pro at Trestles in San Clemente, CA, on Thursday—an event that the 40-year-old surfer has now won five times, and a win had him seeming a tad sentimental:

"I feel like I've had so many good years at Lowers," he said. "The pressure is really on to make the final. It's cool to with the 50^th here. I won my first event as a pro here, and it's great to get this win."

The finish punts Slater into third in the world rankings, as the tour heads to Europe for its seventh of 10 events, and already has spawned chatter about the 11-time World Champ taking his 12^th title.

But to snag that achievement, Slater will still have to overtake Mick Fanning (AUS) and Joel Parkinson (AUS), first and second respectively, in the rankings—a trick that, as Casey Koteen at Transworld Surf points out, won't be easy considering the next event is one that Mick Fanning has won three times.

Follow the Tour—and Slater's prospects—at the next event, the Quicksilver Pro France, scheduled for September 28-October 8.

Here's video from Slater's warm-up: