PUEBLO, Colo. – Could 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis make the current four-man world title race a five-rider competition in the next two weeks?
Possibly.
Never say never.
However, the reality is that it will be tough for Davis to close the 3,179.16-point gap between himself and current world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme, let alone leapfrog No. 4 Joao Ricardo Vieira, No. 3 Chase Outlaw and No. 2 Jess Lockwood in the process.
“It is more or less try and be ready for the Finals,” Davis admitted this past weekend at the Minneapolis Invitational. “I want to try and win the Finals. Wherever I end up after that, that is just what it is going to be. Go get on a roll, stay on a roll until the Finals, and hopefully win the Finals again.”
The 2019 PBR World Finals get underway at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Nov. 6.
Only three riders have won the PBR World Finals event title multiple times in their careers during the organization’s 26-year history – Robson Palermo (2008, 2011, 2012), J.B. Mauney (2009 & 2013) and Troy Dunn (1995 & 1997).
Davis’ 2016 World Championship often overshadows the fact that Davis won the prestigious event title a year earlier. Some are even quick to assume Davis’ World Finals victory actually came during his gold buckle season.
The Jasper, Texas, cowboy remarkably turned around his rookie campaign by losing 24 pounds in less than three months, forever altering his career, and his life, for the better.
“Winning it the first time was a bucket list item, so winning it twice would be really special,” Davis said. “I don’t know. I am pretty fired up right now.”
There are two Unleash The Beast regular-season events remaining (Greensboro, North Carolina, and Nampa, Idaho), before the World Finals begins. There are 1,400 world points still on the Unleash The Beast table.
If Davis were to sweep the final two events, which would be a herculean accomplishment, he could potentially cut Leme’s lead to a much-more manageable 1,779.16 points.
Davis is not qualified for the 2019 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, and he is not expected to enter the Rapid City, South Dakota, Velocity Tour season finale on Oct. 26.
Davis put forth his best showing since he won the Green Bay Invitational on June 2 for 530 world points by going 3-for-4 in the Twin Cities this past weekend for 400 world points.
“It was pretty good, especially if I could have held onto the first one,” Davis said. “Then it dang sure would have been a pretty good weekend.”
The fifth-year pro rode his final three bulls inside the Target Center after he bucked off Firebeatz in 7.73 seconds in Round 1.
Davis placed fifth in the 15/15 Bucking Battle with an 88-point ride on Big Black Cat. In Round 2, Davis covered Slinger Jr. for 88.25 points. He then won the championship round Saturday evening with a 90.75-point ride on Speed Demon.
Slinger Jr. and Speed Demon were a combined 139-13 at all levels before Davis covered them Saturday night.
In fact, Davis is responsible for three of the six rides given up by Speed Demon on the PBR premier series.
“Normally, he is kind of 50-50,” Davis said. “He may fake left and go right or hook it up like he did today. He actually put on quite a bit of weight. Chad (Berger) has been putting the feed to him. He was a handful today. He just kept shuffling around there, and it worked.
One rider can earn a maximum of 3,300 world points at the World Finals, so there is still time, however limited, for Davis or another rider to try and make a late-season push if Leme were to stub his toe again like he did this past weekend in Minneapolis.
Davis, though, is approaching every week like he is riding with house money.
He has nothing to lose, and plenty to gain.
“Right now, there is no pressure to win a world title,” Davis concluded. “It is just me going out there and riding every bull that is run under me and, I don’t know, it seems to be working out pretty good.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko