FRESNO, Calif. – The energetic crowd inside Save Mart Center on Saturday night cheered as home-state rider Ray Mayo (Clearlake, CA) captured the Round 1 win at the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT)’s Fresno Invitational.
As the extraordinary animal athletes of the PBR dominated all but five of their 36 matchups throughout the opening round, Mayo was paired with Summertime Blues (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger). His solid score of 84.5 points was strong enough to secure the opening-night win.
The California cowboy closes out Round 1 with 28 Velocity Global points.
Arizona native Jaxton Mortensen (Coolidge, Arizona) was hot on Mayo’s heels, capturing second place.
Mortensen was paired with Knuckles (Humpz and Hornz) for 83.5 points, landing him just one point behind Mayo on the leaderboard as they head into Championship Sunday.
The 18-year-old young gun collected 18 Velocity Global points for his efforts.
Trent Nugent (Kirbyville, Texas) secured a third-place finish aboard Time Bomb (Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) with an 82-point ride Saturday night.
His efforts earned him a solid 17 Velocity Global points.
Trace Brown (Stephenville, Texas) finished in fourth place in Fresno’s Round 1.
Brown was paired with Jungle Can Do (Diamond Willow/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 79.5 points. Despite the less-than-ideal score, his efforts to stay aboard earned him 15 Velocity Global points.
Chance Strong (Handford, California) rounded out the Top 5 after his 8-second ride on Shiver Shot (Humpz and Hornz) earned 74.5 points.
The California cowboy earned 7 Velocity Global points and has the chance to gain ground on Sunday.
ThePBR Fresno Invitational willcontinue inside Save Mart Center as the top bull riders of the PWVT return for Round 2 and the championship round on Sunday, March 19, at 2 p.m. PDT.
Professional Bull Riders - FRESNO INVITATIONAL
Fresno, California - Save Mart Center
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Ray Mayo, 84.5-0-0-84.50-28 Points.
2. Jaxton Mortensen, 83.5-0-0-83.50-18 Points.
3. Trent Nugent, 82-0-0-82.00-17 Points.
4. Trace Brown, 79.5-0-0-79.50-15 Points.
5. Chance Strong, 74.5-0-0-74.50-7 Points.
Mason Moody, 0-0-0-0.00
Aaron Williams, 0-0-0-0.00
Dawson Branton, 0-0-0-0.00
Chase Dougherty, 0-0-0-0.00
Dalton Rudman, 0-0-0-0.00
Conner Halverson, 0-0-0-0.00
Bill Henry, 0-0-0-0.00
Dustin Martinez, 0-0-0-0.00
Travis Wimberley, 0-0-0-0.00
Anthony Lyons, 0-0-0-0.00
Kyle Eaton, 0-0-0-0.00
Levi Gray, 0-0-0-0.00
Santiago Castellanos, 0-0-0-0.00
Colt Robinson, 0-0-0-0.00
Hayden Harris, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Ward, 0-0-0-0.00
Max Castro, 0-0-0-0.00
Jerrison Begay, 0-0-0-0.00
Edgardo Figueroa, 0-0-0-0.00
Raudel Rodriguez, 0-0-0-0.00
William Wright, 0-0-0-0.00
Luis Tinoco, 0-0-0-0.00
Brady Turgeon, 0-0-0-0.00
Wyatt Austin, 0-0-0-0.00
Isaiah Ortiz, 0-0-0-0.00
Justin Granger, 0-0-0-0.00
Andy Valdez, 0-0-0-0.00
Ruger Piva, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Kohout, 0-0-0-0.00
Devan Mealing, 0-0-0-0.00
Joe Alejos, 0-0-0-0.00