ARLINGTON, Texas – Several days before the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy, Team Mexico head coach Gerardo Venegas and assistant coach Jerome Davis approached Edgar Durazo with a yellow armband emblazoned with a bold “C.”
“Each team is going to have a captain,” they told him, “and on this team, it’s going to be you.”
On Saturday following the first night of competition, Durazo was still touched by the gesture.
“It’s such an honor,” Durazo said. “They said, ‘You’re the captain, and we’re trusting you in motivating the team, and stepping out and riding your bulls, and doing your best for the team. And we want you to wear this on your arm all the time you’re riding.’
“That was a really special moment for me, and still, there’s nothing I’m doing different. It’s just riding one bull at a time, and if I’ve got this on, it’s a big honor to me that I can help my team out.”
And help his team out he did.
With one bull remaining for Team Mexico, the team had gone 0-for-6. In the bonus round, Venegas matched Durazo up with Chain Smoker.
Durazo was bucked off, but awarded a re-ride, and he was immediately thrilled to find out that he’d be climbing aboard Cochise.
8 seconds later, Durazo was marked a career-high 89 points, which is also Mexico’s highest-ever score at a Global Cup.
“It feels great,” Durazo said. “That’s a great bull of Gene Owen. It’s a bull that, every time in the short round, everybody picks him. It’s a fun bull to get on, and you know that you’re going to be a lot of points on him. So I didn’t ride the first one, and things didn’t work out. He hit himself, and I got a re-ride, and got that one, and that was the most incredible thing. It worked out pretty good. Thank God, and he gave us the power to keep pushing, and we’ll be fighting to the end.”
Team Mexico ended the night just 1-for-8, but they’re far from out of it. Mexico sits in fifth place heading into the second day of competition, ahead of the Team USA Wolves (85.25), just behind two-time reigning Global Cup champions Team Brazil (90.25), and one bull behind Team Australia (169.75).
Venegas, disappointed in how things turned out so far, says his team is looking to chase down the teams in close range.
“Honestly, you can sugarcoat it, but we did waste some really good bulls,” Venegas said. “We drew some really tough ones. I think two or three of them. But the other two or three of them, they should’ve rode them. The next two or three teams, I don’t know exactly what they’re set up, but they’re one bull ahead of us. So we’re trying to secure that. That’s what we’re looking at right now.
In 2019 in Arlington, Team Mexico earned its best-ever finish at a Global Cup, placing fifth out of six teams.
Should they take advantage of their remaining opportunities, they could best that in 2020.
“We drew some really rank bulls again, so it’s not going to get easier,” Venegas said. “It’s going to be hard. You’ve just got to suck it up. There’s no easy way. I told the guys, ‘Hey, they’re not going to give you nothing. The bulls, they’re going to buck, and they’re going to buck hard. You’ve got to take it.’”
Despite the lackluster results and the late hour of the night, Venegas smiled. “We’ll see. I like our chances. As long as they stay positive.”
Durazo has drawn @PBR on TikTok (1-5, UTB) for Round 3.
Fans can watch Round 3 live on RidePass at 2:45 p.m. ET, and the championship round on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET.
RELATED: PBR Global Cup daysheet
Durazo’s ride offered a huge bright spot for Team Mexico. Not only did it get the team on the board, it allowed them to end the night on the highest of notes.
It’s a wave of momentum that Venegas hopes his riders can carry on into Sunday.
“It’s good. It’s huge,” Venegas said. “You’re helping to pick up their head. It’s everything, pretty much, to me.
“Edgar stuck it on and made a really good ride. We’re going try to be strategic and put him on a nice bull tomorrow, try to get another score.”
Durazo, his captain armband in hand, said that he’s already turned the page from tonight and is looking toward his next bull. But more than anything, he hopes that his big score can galvanize his teammates.
“That’s definitely, definitely big motivation for the whole team,” he said, grinning. “The whole team was pumped, and gelling, and they were all having fun. It makes me feel so good, and I was feeling so good riding for my nation, riding for my team. This will definitely help the whole team, and tomorrow they’re all going to step up.”