NEW YORK CITY – 2020 may be a new decade, and the 27th season in PBR history may feature a new world points system, but one thing is going to likely remain the same.
To be a World Champion, a rider is going to have to capitalize on the biggest of stages on the PBR when the lights are at their brightest and the stakes are at their highest. The four PBR Majors and the 2020 PBR World Finals will go a long way in determining who leaves Las Vegas 10 months from now with $1 million.
Newly minted world No. 1 Joao Ricardo Vieira was the first rider in 2020 to capitalize at one of the most crucial events on the Unleash The Beast calendar, and that leaves three more PBR Majors before the 2020 PBR World Finals on Nov. 4-8 for riders to make the largest leap in the world standings.
Vieira won the 20th Major in PBR history this past weekend by going 4-for-4 at the Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden, presented by Ariat, to put himself atop the world standings for the first time in four-plus years.
The 35-year-old was last on top of the world standings in September 2015.
Vieira picked up 192 world points, not to mention $109,000, and he will take a 26.5-point lead on No. 2 Kaique Pacheco into the Chicago Invitational this coming weekend.
“This is good money, and I am so blessed to start the season like this,” Vieira said. “I work hard over the break to come here and ride better.”
Coincidentally, 2015 was the last time a rider won the world title without winning a PBR Major. Even more amazing that season was that Vieira won two of the three PBR Majors that season but could not finish the job for a gold buckle.
However, no rider has gone on to win the world title since J.B. Mauney did that year without a PBR Major win.
2016 World Champion Cooper Davis took home the win at the Music City Knockout in Nashville. Two-time World Champion Jess Lockwood won New York in 2017 and 2019. 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco won Last Cowboy Standing.
How does a PBR Major victory compare to a normal two-day or three-day victory in the new points system?
One rider can earn a maximum of 270 points at a PBR Major compared to 140 points at a two-day UTB event and 180 points at a three-day event. Round wins at a PBR Major earn a rider 30 points, while normal round wins on the UTB are 20.
“I think you almost have to win one,” Lockwood, who won the championship round on Sunday in New York with a 91.75-point ride on Lil 2 Train, said about the Majors. “You look how close Jose (Vitor Leme) was last year and how much he ended up losing by, and that is a Major. That is where he came up short in that world title race.”
Cody Teel won the Music City Knockout in 2018 to make a late push at the World Championship, and ultimately finished a career-best third overall in the world standings.
Teel believes the Majors can make or break your season.
“Look at guys that have won in the past and won the world title, and it does play a big role,” Teel said. “It does kind of jumpstart your year, or in the middle of the year, it really catapults you into a title race. They play a major role in determining a World Champion. You can almost say world titles are won or lost at these deals almost with as many points as you can get.
“You have to make it count.”
Teel finished 2-for-5 in New York, including a 2.78-second buckoff against Big Bad in the 15/15 Bucking Battle, after beginning the regular event with two qualified rides.
Davis said there may be less pressure to win a PBR Major in 2020 seeing as there are so many points available at the PBR World Finals and in 15/15 Bucking Battles.
One rider can earn up to 1,040 world points at the World Finals, and 15/15 Bucking Battle winners pick up 50.
“That is going to alleviate a little bit of this pressure to win a Major,” Davis said. “Majors are still going to be important and kind of space guys out at times, but points at the Finals and at the 15/15s are going to be crucial this year.”
Davis finished second in the first 15/15 Bucking Battle of 2020 with an 89.5-point ride on Lil 2 Train this past Friday night.
Three-time World Champion Silvano Alves agreed with Davis that the Finals and 15/15 Bucking Battles were the two biggest changes.
“It looks the same,” Alves said. “Just a little more down and pay out (points) more positions (in rounds), but Finals change a lot. I just come here to ride my bulls. That’s it. That is my focus. That is it.”
There are still four Unleash The Beast events before the next PBR Major – Iron Cowboy, presented by Ariat, on Feb. 7-8 in Los Angeles.
Vieira is a two-time Iron Cowboy champion since the marquee event became a Major in 2015, and he will likely be viewed as a favorite once again in the progressive elimination style event.
2020 PBR MAJORS SCHEDULE
Iron Cowboy, presented by Ariat (Feb. 7-8 in Los Angeles)
Last Cowboy Standing (July 20-21 in Cheyenne, Wyoming)
Music City Knockout (Aug. 22-23 in Nashville)
Two-time World Champion and CBS Sports analyst Justin McBride, who is a member of the PBR’s competition committee, said riders that perform at the highest level against the rankest bulls will ultimately receive the greatest reward.
“There is the right amount of emphasis put on bigger events,” McBride said. “The harder things to win against tougher competition for bull and rider, is worth the most.”