SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In a night where the bulls prevailed and only seven of the world’s best bull riders recorded qualified rides, it was 2017 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Champion Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana) that walked away with the Round 1 win on Friday night in Springfield.
As the 11th annual PFIWestern.com Invitational began it quickly became apparent that the bulls would dominate the night. Despite the bovine athletes showcasing their power, Lockwood recorded the highest score of the night, and his personal highest of the year, when he made the 8 aboard Chiseled (Flinn/ D&H Cattle Co). The crowd inside of JQH Arena erupted as his ride received an impressive 93 points to secure his ninth round win of the 2019 season.
The Montana man collected 100 world points and a $3,632.86 check for his sixth 90-point ride of the season on night one of the three-day event. He now leads world No. 3 Chase Outlaw (Hamburg, Arkansas) by 467.5 points but still trails world leader Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) by 366.66 points.
Oklahoma cowboy Brennon Eldred (Sulphur, Oklahoma) delivered an 87.5-point ride atop Hard Juice (Next Level Bucking Bulls) on Friday night for a second-place finish. The night earned Eldred 60 world points, helping him hold on strong to his No. 24 spot in the world standings. He earned a $2,802.86 paycheck for his efforts.
Third place in Round 1 went to Claudio Montanha Jr. (Pacaembu, Brazil). The Brazilian rider made the 8 on Canton Tornado (Chase Foutsch/ Tom Baker), scoring 87.25 points. Beginning the night at No. 18, Montanha moved up in the world standings with the 50 world points he collected landing him at No. 14. Night one in Missouri earned him $2,052.86.
Matt Triplett (Columbia Falls, Montana) was fourth on the leaderboard after being matched up with Chuck & Larry (Richard & Teri Braun/ Jenkins Cattle). His qualified ride earned 87 points, bringing him $1,352.86 and 40 world points. The Montana man kept his spot at No. 13 in the world standings as Friday the 13th rolled to a close.
Rounding out the Top 5 of the night was Texan Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas). The Rookie of the Year contender fired out of the chutes aboard Foghorn Leghorn (Dennis & Jan Owens) to record an 86.5-point score and hold at No. 19 in the world standings. His efforts on night one earned him 30 world points and $902.86.
Round 1 in Springfield was also an American Bucking Bull Inc. (ABBI) Classic event. The Maturity event will be incorporated during Round 2 with the last 10 competing in the Classic round. There will be 46 Classic bulls and 26 Maturity bulls competing altogether. The Classic prize purse is more than $35,000 between Friday and Saturday night, with the winning bull collecting over $10,000 in prize money, and the overall Maturity payout comes in at $19,000.
Currently leading the ABBI Classic round is Honey Man (Buck/D&H Cattle) with 90.8 points after dispatching Fabiano Vieira (Perola, Brazil) in 2.44 seconds. No. 1 bull in the ABBI Classic Standings Chiseled (D&H Cattle/Flinn) sits second in the event with 90.4 points, while The Right Stuff (Berger / Struvey / Willow / Smith / Nix /Owens) is not far behind in third place with 89.8 points. El Big Bad (Hudgins Bucking Bulls) posted 89.6 points to take fourth place. Strange Cargo (OK Corralis/Gordon/D&H Cattle) and Proctors Pride (K Bar C/Bull Creek Bucking Bulls) rounded out the Top 5 tying with scores of 89.2 points apiece.
The best bull riders in the world will return to JQH Arena on Saturday, September 14th for Round 2 of the PFIWestern.com Invitational immediately followed by a 15/15 Bucking Battle, in which the Top 15 bull riders in the world will be matched up with the Top 15 bulls in the sport.
Fans will also be able to watch the action in its entirety on RidePass.com or via the RidePass mobile app. Action from Round 1 will be viewable starting at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday, September 14.
Professional Bull Riders - PFIWestern.com Invitational
Springfield, Missouri
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Jess Lockwood, 93-0-0-0-93.00-100 Points.
2. Brennon Eldred, 87.5-0-0-0-87.50-60 Points.
3. Claudio Montanha Jr., 87.25-0-0-0-87.25-50 Points.
4. Matt Triplett, 87-0-0-0-87.00-40 Points.
5. Ezekiel Mitchell, 86.5-0-0-0-86.50-30 Points.
6. Jose Vitor Leme, 85.75-0-0-0-85.75-15 Points.
7. Alisson De Souza, 81-0-0-0-81.00-5 Points.
Chase Outlaw, 0-0-0-0-0.00
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cooper Davis, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dalton Kasel, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Nance, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Rubens Barbosa, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Taylor Toves, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0-0.00
J.B. Mauney, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dylan Smith, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Michael Lane, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kurt Shephard, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Junio Quaresima, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Brady Sims, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Daniel Tinsman, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Paulo Ferreira Lima, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dener Barbosa, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Fabiano Vieira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Chase Hamlin, 0-0-0-0-0.00
