GREENVILLE, S.C. – As the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event got underway Friday night in Greenville, South Carolina, Afonso Quintino (São Luis dos Montes Belos, Brazil) rode supreme, winning Round 1 of the Cooper Tires PBR Greenville inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
Quintino was tasked with Ol Buddy (Blake Sharp/Jason Edmondson) as competition got underway. In what proved to be a perfect pairing, the Brazilian dominated the bull for 85.5 points to win the opening round.
The top score earned Quintino 28 points in the race to be crowned the 2025 PBR Velocity Tour Champion.
PBR’s bovine athletes dominated Friday evening. Quintino was one of just five riders to reach the requisite 8 as the competing bulls delivered buckoffs in 85.71% of the outs.
Brandon Ballard (New Hope, Kentucky) was second in Round 1, earning 18 Velocity Global points.
Ballard earned the silver showing courtesy of his 84.5-point ride on Wicked In a Winning Way (Chestnut Dreams/Davis Rodeo Ranch).
Third was Marco Rizzo (Quitman, Georgia).
The affable 20-year-old earned 17 Velocity Global points for his 83.5-point ride on Copperhead Road (C-B Bucking Bulls).
Dylan Smith (Ararat, Virginia) parlayed an 81.5-point ride on Gunsmoke (Lucas Manning Bucking Bulls) into a fourth-place finish in Round 1. He left Bon Secours Wellness Arena Friday night with 16 Velocity Global points.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Conner Halverson (Gordon, Nebraska).
Halverson covered The Sauce Too (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson) for 74 points, earning 7 Velocity Global points.
On Friday night, PBR honored the United Cajun Navy with the prestigious Be Cowboy award, recognizing the organization’s unwavering support of the region as the recovery from Hurricane Helene continues. The recognition comes just one day after several members of the PBR travelled to Black Mountain, North Carolina, to participate in a day of service alongside the United Cajun Navy.
Action for the Cooper Tires PBR Greenville will conclude with Round 2 and the championship round on Saturday, Feb. 1. Action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets are still available. To help our neighbors in need, PBR will make a $5 donation to the United Cajun Navy to support the ongoing hurricane recovery efforts, for every fan who purchase a full-priced ticket via this FEVO link. Fans will also have the option to add an additional donation at checkout.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour events and is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv.
PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour
Cooper Tires PBR Greenville
Bon Secours Wellness Arena – Greenville, South Carolina
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3- Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Afonso Quintino, 85.5-0-0-85.50-28 Points.
2. Brandon Ballard, 84.5-0-0-84.50-18 Points.
3. Marco Rizzo, 83.5-0-0-83.50-17 Points.
4. Dylan Smith, 81.5-0-0-81.50-16 Points.
5. Conner Halverson, 74-0-0-74.00-7 Points.
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00
Zane Cook, 0-0-0-0.00
Matt Allgood, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Ward, 0-0-0-0.00
Jason Landing, 0-0-0-0.00
Dustin Herman, 0-0-0-0.00
Carlos Garcia, 0-0-0-0.00
Caleb Cantrell, 0-0-0-0.00
Seth White, 0-0-0-0.00
Michael Phillips, 0-0-0-0.00
Leandro Aparecido da Silva, 0-0-0-0.00
João Paulo Fernandes, 0-0-0-0.00
Scotty Williams, 0-0-0-0.00
Cole Trivette, 0-0-0-0.00
JaCauy Hale, 0-0-0-0.00
Brandon Chambers, 0-0-0-0.00
Michael Lane, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Warnken, 0-0-0-0.00
Bennie Shetler, 0-0-0-0.00
Alex Jenks, 0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cantoral, 0-0-0-0.00
Loyd Sisk, 0-0-0-0.00
Hayden Harris, 0-0-0-0.00
Gabriel Thiago Da Silva, 0-0-0-0.00
Randy Whitener, 0-0-0-0.00
Adam Belcher, 0-0-0-0.00
Jeferson Silva, 0-0-0-0.00
Nick Garramone, 0-0-0-0.00
CJ Vance, 0-0-0-0.00
Tanner Dale, 0-0-0-0.00
Photo courtesy of Gwinn Davis/Gwinn Davis Media