PUEBLO, Colo. – Cooper Davis has made a name for himself, not only as the 2016 PBR World Champion, but as Captain America.
Davis has competed at three PBR Global Cups – missing the fourth due to injury – as the captain of the Team USA Eagles, and is one of the best performers in Global Cup history with a lifetime 8-for-11 record.
When a team needs someone to step up, there’s nobody better than Cooper Davis to get the job done.
At the Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol, it’s Team Ariat Davis is captaining, and in three games, he’s already been up to plenty of his old heroics.
Team Ariat improved to 3-0 with its Sunday victory over Team Pendleton Whisky (2-1), 266-173.5, and it was Davis that ultimately propelled his squad to the lead with his 91-point ride on Marquis Metal Works Bill The Butcher.
It was the first 90-point ride of the Monster Energy Team Challenge.
“Look at that rider score, 46.75,” two-time World Champion and Team USA Eagles head coach Justin McBride said on CBS national television. “And this bull tries to stick him into his hand right out of there, and Davis just does now allow that to happen. That’s why you love Davis in a team competition, because when the pressure is on, this guy does not shrink.”
McBride knows better than anybody what Davis is capable of when a team is counting on him, as Davis led McBride’s Team USA to the 2017 PBR Global Cup title in Edmonton.
“Davis has made a career out of this,” McBride said. “That’s why this is a guy I feel like you can build a team around.”
Davis is competing in just his second event since returning to action following a broken neck at the season-opening Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden in New York on Jan. 5. He won the Forever West PBR Touring Pro Division event in Sheridan, Wyoming, on May 30 in his first event back, riding Little Heat for 90 points in the process.
His 91 points on Sunday was his best ride since his 92.75-point trip on Chiseled in Greensboro, North Carolina, in October 2019.
Lucas Divino opened the game strong for Team Pendleton Whisky, riding @PBR on TikTok for 88.75 points. Amadeu Campos added on with 84.75 points aboard Marquis Metal Works Draggin Up before Ariat’s Ky Hamilton chipped in his first of two rides, riding Holy Water for 84.25 points to bring Ariat back within one bull.
“Our team just pulled together, and we had some bulls that we could be a lot of points on,” Davis told CBS Sports Network’s Kate Harrison. “Ky stepped up and pretty much led the team today, and I just kind of followed suit.”
Just two outs later, Davis had his 91-point score on the board. And on the very next attempt, Hamilton had a 90 of his own, riding Spotted Demon for 90.75 points. It’s the highest-scoring ride of his PBR career thus far by 5.5 points, besting his 85.25-point trip on Twinkle Toes on Saturday.
“I guess just watching Cooper by example was enough to get me going,” Hamilton said. “Looking up to a guy like him and getting to watch him before you ride, it sure helps me.”
Hamilton also has Global Cup experience, competing for Team Australia on home soil in Sydney in 2018, and again in Arlington, Texas, in 2020.
“Ky’s got a lot of talent,” Davis told PBR Insider Justin Felisko earlier in the week. “Just talking to him a little bit, I’ve got a lot of faith in him, and I think that people are going to see something out of Ky that they hadn’t quite got to see yet. It’s really exciting for me.”
With its 3-0 record, Team Ariat holds first place in Division B ahead of Team South Point (2-1, 589.75 points) and Team Pendleton Whisky (2-1, 501.25 points).
The Monster Energy Team Challenge features 12 teams, and two Divisions (A & B). The Top 3 teams in each division, based upon win-loss record, qualify for Championship Weekend and a single-elimination tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on July 10-12 in front of fans.
Following Division A competition, Team Cooper Tires, Team Las Vegas and Team Can-Am have clinched playoff berths.
Team Ariat will next face off against South Point on June 26 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and RidePass.
With two 90-point rides under its belt, Davis is hopeful that Ariat has set itself up to continue rolling.
“I’m excited to get back here next week and see if we can get another three down,” Davis said. “We’ve just got to keep proving to ourselves and everybody else that we’re as good as we have been this week.”
Professional Bull Riders - Team Challenge - Game 27
Las Vegas, NV, 2020
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Ky Hamilton, 84.25-90.75-175.00
2. Cooper Davis, 91-0-91.00
3. Lucas Divino, 88.75-0-88.75
4. Amadeu Campos Silva, 84.75-0-84.75
Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0.00
Junio Patrik Souza, 0-0-0.00
Tyler Bingham, 0-0-0.00
Maverick Potter, 0-0-0.00