A whirlwind tour that lasted nearly two months produced two contest victories, more than $18,000 in prize money, and more than 30,000 frequent-flier miles for Kaua'i bodyboarder Jeff Hubbard.

"Yeah, it was crazy," Hubbard said. "But totally worth it."

Most important, Hubbard is now ranked No. 1 on the International Bodyboarding Association's 2009 World Tour.

Hubbard, 33, was born and raised on Kaua'i, but now resides on O'ahu.

When his trip started July 19, Hubbard was not even ranked in the top 20. By the time he returned to Hawai'i last week, he emerged as the bodyboarder to beat. With only one contest remaining on the 2009 world tour, Hubbard is in position to win his second world title (his first came in 2007).

"I was fortunate on this trip," he said. "A lot of things worked out, including the waves. We had pretty much solid waves everywhere we went, so that helped."

Hubbard's trip took him to contests in Peru, Chile, Portugal, Spain and New Jersey. He won the events in Peru, Portugal and New Jersey to vault into the No. 1 spot.

The victory in Portugal was crucial. For starters, it was one of the "grand slam" contests on the tour, meaning it offered maximum points. What's more, the first-place check of $8,000 was the largest on the 2009 tour.

"Definitely came in handy," Hubbard said. "This is the seventh year that I've gone to Portugal for that contest and it turned out to be my first contest I ever won in Europe."

Before the Portugal contest, Mike Stewart of Kona was ranked No. 1. Stewart, who is 46 and the oldest competitor on the tour, won the event in Chile.

"I was pretty excited for Mike after that," Hubbard said. "But what was good for me was that all the attention was kind of on him and I kind of snuck in there to win the next event."

Hubbard also had to overcome a loss to his younger brother, David, at the Chile event. David scored a perfect 10 in the semifinals to beat Jeff.

"That was the first time we ever went against each other man-on-man," Hubbard said. "He got me, but it was fun."

The final event of the 2009 tour is scheduled for December at the Canary Islands.

Five bodyboarders are in mathematical contention: Hubbard is No. 1, followed in order by Australians Dave Winchester and Ryan Hardy, then Stewart, then Brazil's Guilherme Tamega.

"The good thing for me is I control my own destiny," Hubbard said. "The other guys all have to hope for me to lose for them to have a shot."

After the two-month trip, Hubbard said he will use the next two months to recover and then train for the final contest at the Canary Islands.

"That can actually be a pretty powerful reef break, so I'm excited," he said. "Hopefully some swells come in to the North Shore so I can get some good practice."

Hubbard said it also helped to have his master's degree in hand prior to his long trip. He received his master's in business administration from Hawai'i Pacific University in May.

"I have some (work) options I'm looking at," he said. "But I'm enjoying my job as a pro bodyboarder right now. My focus for now is on another world title."