EUGENE, Ore. – As Round 1 of the PBR Kubota Emerald Chute Out in Eugene, Oregon, began, Chase Dougherty could be seen looking around in a few different directions, smiling and waving every few minutes at a different friend or family member who was in attendance to show their support.
The rider previously lived 86 miles north of Matthew Knight Arena, in Canby, Oregon. Once that was announced before an electric crowd of Oregon University students and avid PBR fans of all types, Dougherty received some instant verbal support.
When it was time to go to work, nearly halfway through Friday evening’s long round, Dougherty prepared for his out aboard Back Jack like any other out. While most riders give a notable nod as a sign to open the chutes, there didn’t seem to be much head movement, but the chutes flung open either way.
After dealing with a variety of injuries in the past two years, Dougherty didn’t need any additional obstacles in his way, but quickly accepting the reality of the situation, he rose to the occasion.
Spinning to the left for roughly the first half of the ride, his opponent had other plans for the last four seconds, quickly hesitating and bucking to the right for the duration. The battle-tested cowboy was jolted around, but endured the challenge, earning an event-best 89 points for his effort.
“It felt really good,” Dougherty shared. “I got on that bull once before. I think I may have actually picked him, and he dumped me at the end of the gate, so it’s good to get some redemption.”
After safely exiting the bull’s postgame path, Dougherty immediately ran over to the chutes, greeted with an assortment of high-fives and hollers as the 24-year-old moved into first place on the event’s leaderboard.
“It was great. I had a good feeling coming up here, this is my hometown and these fans are awesome.”
Eventually exiting the chutes to retrieve his rope and keep the show moving, the humble rider thanked his U.S. Border Patrol bull fighters and left the dirt with a set of smiles. The now Decatur, Texas, resident could later be seen laughing and celebrating with Paulo Crimber and company atop the chutes, shortly after, as he watched the remaining riders attempt to top his score.
One of those riders, who put in his share of work Friday night, and then some, attempting three bulls in total, was the CEO of Outlaw Nation, Chase Outlaw.
In more than 11 years competing against the best bovine talent in the industry, Outlaw has seen his fair share of obstacles himself, but regardless of experience, being challenged by three bulls within two hours of competition requires some physical, and mental, stability.
First preparing to face Game Over in Round 1, which the veteran managed to stay atop for more than six seconds despite an unideal eruption from the chutes as the bovine banged into the arena frame, Outlaw walked away from his first attempt with two takeaways: a red flag and a banged up left arm, which he held while exiting the dirt and discussing his re-ride scenario with the PBR crew.
But, getting banged up is part of being a cowboy, so when his re-ride chance against Big Pokey came, the 30-year-old accepted and prepared for another go.
This time around, his animal athlete opponent exited the chutes without contact, but upon gaining ground to make his next set of spins, bucked into the frame with his rear end, thus drawing another red flag from the judges and granting Outlaw a third opportunity of the night.
Again, visibly bothered by his ailing left arm, the relentless rider accepted his fate, instantly wanting to know who else he would be competing against in the marathon of an evening. When he found out the matchup was against Bubba G, who’s surrendered qualified rides in his four previous outings, Outlaw knew he was warmed up enough to make it five-straight, and did just that.
Eventually earning his 88.25-point score aboard the bovine, an exhausted, yet excited, Outlaw celebrated with the crowd as he notched his first qualified ride in 19 days.
The No. 49-ranked rider in the Unleash The Beast standings, Dougherty will look to continue his successful start to the weekend on Saturday, via a Round 2 matchup with Maui, while Outlaw, who enters Championship Saturday ranked No. 34, will need at least one ride to inch within the Top 32 and avoid being subject to the tour’s next wave of cuts, set to take place following this weekend’s action.
He’ll get that opportunity during the second round, courtesy of a matchup with Bison.
While Dougherty has six event titles across all levels of competition to his name heading into Saturday’s slate, he’s yet to finish first in an Unleash The Beast event, and will look to do so this weekend.
Meanwhile for Outlaw, who’s exited on top 51 times across all levels of competition, the veteran hasn’t captured an Unleash The Beast event title since 2019, in Fairfax, Virginia, and will look to update his premier series resume this weekend after tying two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme for third place in Round 1.
This weekend’s action at the PBR Kubota Emerald Chute Out is set to conclude Saturday, Feb. 18, with Round 2 and the championship short go scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. PT inside Matthew Knight Arena. Round 2 will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. PT, while the championship round will air on CBS Sunday, Feb. 19 at 9 a.m. PT. Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and PBR social media channels for the latest news, highlights and beyond as the 2023 Unleash The Beast rages on!
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media