PUEBLO, Colo. – He’s baaaaaack.

Seven months after reconstructive shoulder surgery, Chase Outlaw is making his long-awaited return to competition at the Deadwood PBR Touring Pro on June 8-9 in Deadwood, South Dakota.

7 months on the sidelines hasn’t been easy but when you have the right people on your side, it seems to go by a little smoother. Blessed to be headed to the first event back #deadwoodpbr @outlawnic @rareapparelcompany @xd_sports @monsterenergy @wrangler @yeti @lincolnelectric

A post shared by Chase outlaw (@outlaw365) on Jun 7, 2018 at 7:38am PDT

In 2017, Outlaw was having the season of his life. He set career-highs in world finish (No. 6), rides (33), attempts (75), Top-5s (8) and Top-10s (13), and entered the 2017 PBR World Finals having placed in the top 10 in five of his last six events. He’d become a World Champion contender.

But on the final day of the World Finals, a 90.5-point ride on Indian Medicine shredded his right shoulder even as it secured him seventh place.

It’s been a long and painful road for Outlaw and his shoulders in recent years. In 2015, he required reconstructive surgery on both of his shoulders within a six-month span: in April he had 10 anchors inserted into his right shoulder, while surgery on his left was done at the end of the season.

He missed the first half of the 2016 season recovering from surgery but was still able to finish No. 14 in the world standings.

After his final ride of the 2017 season, he needed seven additional screws placed into his shoulder, as well as replacements for several old ones from the prior surgery that were being rejected by his body.

When we last saw him on the back of a bull, Outlaw was on a roll and steadily climbing to the upper echelon of the world’s best bull riders.

Now he is ready to pick up where he left off.