GREENVILLE, S.C. – In front of a sold-out Saturday night crowd in Greenville, South Carolina, Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas) delivered a perfect 3-for-3 performance to win the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s PBR Greenville.

When action got underway Friday night, Mitchell, who rides for the Austin Gamblers in the separate PBR Teams league, dominated Round 1, delivering the top score when he covered Bossed Up (Blake Sharp) for 87 points.

The charismatic Texan then solidified his position atop the event leaderboard when he delivered the second-best score of Round 2, riding Walk It Out (Davis Rodeo Ranch) for 85 points.

As the last man to leave the chutes Saturday night inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Mitchell then went head-to-head with Pocket Change (J Bar W) in the championship round. Nodding with confidence, Mitchell burst from the chutes, reaching the requisite 8 with ease as the crowd erupted in raucous cheer.

Marked 84 points, Mitchell’s third qualified ride in as many attempts clinched him the event win. Mitchell left the Palmetto State having earned a crucial 144 Velocity Global points.

As the only other rider to go a perfect 3-for-3, Michael Lane (Tazewell, Virginia) was second, netting 99 Velocity Global points.

Lane rode Walk It Out for 86 points in Round 1, before making a business decision in Round 2, electing to keep his 57-point ride atop Smokin’ Hot (C Check Bucking Bulls) as opposed to taking his re-ride opportunity.

The veteran rider then punctuated his perfect performance with an event-best, 89-point ride aboard Pneu-Dart’s Rocky Malcoma (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) in the championship round.

Thor Hoefer II (Priest River, Idaho) was third.

Hoefer was quick to strike in Round 1, going the distance atop Gangster This (Blake Sharp) for 78 points. While he was ninth in the event entering Championship Saturday, Hoefer quickly rose to second after he won Round 2 via his 86.5-point effort aboard Fat Randy (Jerry Tuttle/Davis Rodeo Ranch).

In the final round, Hoefer’s shot at victory was quickly extinguished, tossed by Bruno (J Bar W) in a swift 1.9 seconds.

The 2-for-3 showing earned the Idaho native 71 Velocity Global points.

Matt Allgood (Saline, Michigan) parlayed a 72.5-point ride on Rock Solid (C Check Bucking Bulls) in Round 1 and a 79-point trip on Classy Man (J Bar W) in Round 2 into a fourth-place result, collecting 39 Velocity Global points.

Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Cash Keeling (Purdy, Missouri), garnering 34 Velocity Global points.

Going 1-for-3, Keeling’s lone score was in Round 2 when he bested Mercy Rule (Davis Rodeo Ranch) for 84.5 points.

In the bull pen, Shark Bait (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) bucked supreme, crowned the Bull of the Event. Bucking in the championship round, the powerful animal athlete delivered an unrivaled 44-point bull score for his 4.55-second buckoff of Max Castro (Chiquimula, Guatemala).

The PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour next travels to North Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 2-3, and Bakersfield, California, on Feb. 3.

CURT PBR North Charleston at North Charleston Coliseum gets underway on Friday, Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. EST and concludes on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. EST. PBR Bakersfield at Mechanics Bank Arena begins on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. PST.

PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour PBR Greenville Bon Secours Wellness Arena – Greenville, South Carolina Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3- Event Aggregate-Event Points) 1. Ezekiel Mitchell, 87-85-84-256.00-144 Points. 2. Michael Lane, 86-57-89-232.00-99 Points. 3. Thor Hoefer II, 78-86.5-0-164.50-71 Points. 4. Matt Allgood, 72.5-79-0-151.50-39 Points. 5. Cash Keeling, 0-84.5-0-84.50-34 Points. 6. Cody McCandless, 83.5-0-0-83.50-25.5 Points. (tie). Justin Ethridge, 83.5-0-0-83.50-25.5 Points. 8. Max Castro, 0-81.5-0-81.50-20 Points. (tie). Dakota Louis, 0-81.5-0-81.50-20 Points. 10. Marcos Gloria, 0-80-0-80.00-16 Points. 11. Leandro Aparecido da Silva, 0-71-0-71.00-5 Points. 12. Alvin Detweiler, 70-0-0-70.00-5 Points. 13. Bennie Shetler, 67-0-0-67.00-3.5 Points. (tie). Ueberson Duarte, 67-0-0-67.00-3.5 Points. 15. Cameron Delano, 60-0-0-60.00-2 Points. Brandon Chambers, 0-0-0-0.00 Tyler Manor, 0-0-0-0.00 Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00 Elijah Mora, 0-0-0-0.00 Dustin Herman, 0-0-0-0.00 Brandon McDowell, 0-0-0-0.00 Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00 Alex Jenks, 0-0-0-0.00 Seth White, 0-0-0-0.00 Jake Goodson, 0-0-0-0.00 Cole Trivette [1], 0-0-0-0.00 Cole Trivette [2], 0-0-0-0.00 Jared Avina, 0-0-0-0.00 Bub Steele, 0-0-0-0.00 Randy Whitener, 0-0-0-0.00 Jake Maher, 0-0-0-0.00 Geferson Damascena, 0-0-0-0.00 Alvaro Ariel, 0-0-0-0.00 TyLane Thomas, 0-0-0-0.00 Douglas da Silva Barreto, 0-0-0-0.00 Photo courtesy of Gwinn Davis