As the final afternoon of the 2020 Professional Bull Riders World Finals approached on this Championship Sunday afternoon, the energy and excitement of what had happened over the last three days were undoubtedly infectious.  The buzz around AT&T Stadium was that of anticipation and undying support for favorite bull riders and world championship-caliber bucking bulls that were set to perform again.  Last night gave all those in attendance their first look at the new PBR World Champion as well as the top ABBI Classic bucking bulls in the business today.

One thing that was unmistakably different this year was exactly how and who would be making it to the fourth and final day of action here in Arlington.  Different from previous years, only those riders that have made at least one qualified ride was given the sure chance to come back to today’s round, followed by those that would fill out the rest of the field based on world standings rankings.  Coming into today’s fourth round there would be twenty-six that were able to make that happen.

 

Jess Lockwood Notches A Qualified Ride On Sunday

Photo Credit: official_monson_photography

Much like any other Championship Sunday, there would be the final round followed by the Championship Round of action to finish out the event which was the same here at the World Finals but on a much larger scale.  Before the start of the fourth round of action, the number of bull riders coming into the round with perfect records this weekend was dwindled down from eight in round three to just half of that, totaling four, for round four.  After all was said and done, there would only be none that would be able to carry that record to the Championship Round.  Once the round was finished two-time world champion Jess Lockwood would make the winning ride with a score of 91.00 to win the fourth round inside of AT&T Stadium.

During the Championship Round draft, the top fifteen riders from the average of the last four rounds were able to pick the match-ups that they had in front of them, for the first time this entire weekend, which is also a major change from years past.  Following all of the excitement from the Championship round, it would be five that would be able to outlast their bovine athlete opponents and earn a qualified ride. That being said, it would be Boudreaux Campbell who would outlast the others in the final round of action for the 2020 season with a 92.25 point ride and take home the Championship Round win with a huge 93.75 point ride on the arena floor.

  

Boudreaux Campbell Is Your 2020 World Finals Event Champion

Photo Credit: official_monson_photography

This year’s PBR World Finals has been a very grueling one for the top bull riders in the world but each and every one of them came and put their best foot forward in hopes of winning a huge pocket of cash.  Many titles were one the line here this weekend with one of them being who would outperform all the others over the four-day/five-round period to walk out of Arlington, Texas with a huge $300,000 paycheck for their efforts.  That is exactly what the winner of the 2020 PBR World Finals event average wound take home once things were all said and done.

This race was absolutely neck-for-neck coming into today’s final rounds but almost every eye was on Brazillian Jose Vitor Leme who has been absolutely unstoppable this season and came into Championship Sunday with a commanding lead after winning last night’s third round and earning the coveted PBR World Champion title less than 24-hours ago.  That being said, it seemed as if after he knew he had won the world title that the need to ride was not as strong and allowed one of those behind him to win the event average and take home the money.  That man would be PBR rookie Boudreaux Campbell who would walk away with that prestigious title underneath his belt.

Beaudreaux Campbell Is The 2020 PBR Rookie of the Year

Photo Credit: official_monson_photography

The 2020 PBR Rookie of the Year race has been a fun one to watch as things began to tighten up tremendously as the World Finals began.  Cole Melancon came into the World Finals with a nicely padded lead, but as we all know, things can change in a heartbeat throughout the weekend.  Here in Texas, that was just the case as Boudreaux Campbell put on a performance that no one thought would be done to make this Rookie of the Year race one of the most interesting and intense in recent memory.  Once all was said and done, it would be Campbell that would take this title home in 2020 putting on a gutsy performance going an amazing 4-for-5 that put him number first in the World Finals event average to take over the lead in the Rookie of the Year standings.

Chad Berger Is Your 2020 PBR Stock Contractor of the Year

Photo Credit: Cowboy Lifestyle Network

When it comes to talking about championship-caliber bucking bulls in the Professional Bull Riders tour one name is on the tip of everyone’s tongue.  Mandan, North Dakota’s Chad Berger is widely known for having some of the best bovine athletes in the business today and his historic record proves it.  Coming into this year’s PBR World Finals, Berger has claimed nine Stock Contractor of the Year awards but it did not stop there.  Earlier today, he was officially awarded his TENTH award in that very same category, making him one of the best, if not the best, stock contractor going down the road today!

Smooth Operator Is Your 2020 World Champion Bucking Bull

Photo Credit: Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media

The 2020 World Champion Bucking Bull race has flipped flopped all year long and it all came down to the last two rides of the year to see who would have the best-combined two-ride average from round one and today’s Championship Sunday out.  Chiseled came into the World Finals in the number one spot and after round one it was Smooth Operator took over that spot where today’s performances were critical in the decision of who would walk out with the title.  Smooth Operator earned a 46 bull score in round one while earning a 46.25 bull score earlier today, giving him an average score of 46.125.  Chiseled came into today with a 45.25 bull score from round one while earning a 45.75 bull score in the Championship Sunday action down on the arena floor giving him a combined average of 45.50.  After scores were tallied it was Smooth Operator who would walk out of AT&T Stadium your 2020 World Champion Bucking Bull.

Jose Vitor Leme Is Your New 2020 PBR World Champion

Photo Credit: official_monson_photography

The world title race this year was, for the most part, all about one man as he started the year out on top and left AT&T Stadium in the very same way, as the 2020 PBR World Champion.  After two years of being in the hunt and placing second one of those years, Brazillian Jose Vitor Leme would create his destiny by gaining the title of PBR World Champion.  He was so dominating not only throughout the season but throughout the entire World Finals week as well, earning him his title one night early, just less than 24-hours ago on Saturday night.

His astounding 2020 PBR World Finals began on the first night and stayed amazing all the way through the fourth and final day here earlier this afternoon in Arlington, Texas.  Round one began with 87.50, placing eighth in the round while earning 83.25 in round two.  Last night he would take the win with a huge 95.75 point ride earning him his first-ever World Championship title but that was not enough for this amazing man.  Earlier this afternoon he would move on to the Championship Round where he would give it is all before bucking off early but still earning his first ever World Championship title.

Even though this year has been very difficult and different for the Professional Bull Riders Unleash The Beast Tour, those involved pulled off a tremendous PBR World Finals week in Arlington, Texas.  Only having about a month and a half to throw something together after finding out they could not host it in Las Vegas with fans they all did an outstanding job.  I have also been given some wonderful folks that have put in a lot of time and effort to bring you all the coverage that the Rodeo Round Up gave you this week and I can not thank them all enough.  My team here on-site with me this week, keeping up on all the social media posts and making sure we had up-to-the-minute stats were Chris Borja and Aurora Dann.  To my fellow media outlet friends and outlets, thank you for coming together to give the fans what they needed, no matter who, what, or when we ALL needed something.  Lastly, a huge thank you goes out to official_monson_photography for offering your fantastic photos due to the limited floor area due to COVID restrictions, I can not thank you enough for your professionalism and willingness to help out in times of need!

It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup.  You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews.

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Over the first two nights of action at the 2020 PBR World Finals, the impressiveness of both the top bull riders in the world as well as the bovine athletes themselves has been out of this world.  In a year that has been anything but ordinary one thing remained the same, all those involved with the Professional Bull Riders organization continue to outshine and outlast anything that is placed before them.  Although many things are limited due to the COVID crisis, the event here in Texas as a whole has been the best that it could be considering the circumstances that have been placed in front of all of us in attendance.

Unfortunately, for a few, their mark on this historic World Finals had to come to an early end which made the world title race much more manageable for the current world number one to maintain.  Jose Vitor Leme has put up two solid rides that left him in seventh overall in the event average but that would all but secure his 2020 world title after several other riders tested positive for COVID and could not compete.  The most notable name was world number two Joao Ricardo Vieira who came across the scoreboard last night inside AT&T Stadium to thank his fans and to wish all the other riders good luck this week, a really classy and emotional move from an outstanding bull rider and human being.

Jose Vitor Leme Earns The Win In Round Three

Photo Credit: official_monson_photography

Throughout the first two nights of action here at the 2020 PBR World Finals, the action has been packed full of excitement as many of the races have begun to take shape with some interesting jockeying happening along the way.  One of those races would be the world championship race in which Jose Vitor Leme has all but already claimed over the first three nights.  The world champion bucking bull, rookie of the year, event average champion, and stock contractor of the year titles are also beginning to look a lot more clear but still have some things that can happen along the way.

While all eyes may be on the gold buckle races, there is still over $30,000 to be one for taking round wins each night here in Arlington, Texas and the top bull riders in the world understand that completely.  Tonight, many of them came in banged up and bruised from a tough first two rounds but still gave their all over the course of the third performance that ended up giving us another 14 qualified rides to cheer about.  That being said. tonight Jose Vitor Leme would take the spotlight after putting up a whopping 95.75 point ride atop Barker Bulls’ LLC Woopaa to earn the round three win and his first PBR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE at the 2020 PBR World Finals.

Boudreaux Campbell Rides His Bull In Round Three

Photo Credit: official_monson_photography

We stated just a bit earlier in this story that many races were still up for grabs and one of which all of us here at the Rodeo Round Up have not been able to talk about much over the first two nights.  Tonight, we want to turn our attention to the Rookie of the Year race that is beginning to look like something to keep an eye on until the very bitter end of Championship Sunday tomorrow afternoon.  This is always a fun race to keep an eye on as it is usually one of the more highly contested races that we get to watch over the final weekend of the PBR season.

This year, coming into the PBR World Finals, there would still be ten bull riders that would still have had a chance to win the Rookie of the Year title which is an astonishing number if you think about it.  Eleven riders are making their PBR World Finals debuts with Cole Melancon leading that charge, barely in front of Alex Cerqueira who trailed Cole just barely.  Cerqueira would post up a score last night in round two last night which, in turn, would tighten up this race that will be decided tomorrow afternoon at the conclusion of the 2020 PBR World Finals.

2020 Rookie of the Year Standings:

Cole Menancon – 347 Points

Alex Cerqueira – 302 Points

Boudreaux Campbell – 250.66 Points

Complete List Of Qualified Rides Made In Round Three:

Jose Vitor Leme (95.75) **CLINCHED WORLD TITLE**

Ryan Dirteater (91.00)

Derek Kolbaba (90.75)

Kyler Oliver (90.00)

Boudreaux Campbell (90.00)

Keyshawn Whitehorse (90.00)

J.B. Mauney (89.75)

Taylor Toves (89.00)

Ezekiel Mitchell (89.00)

Cody Teel (88.50)

Cooper Davis (87.75)

Dalton Kasel (87.50)

Kaique Pacheco (84.50)

Marco Eguchi (83.25)

As the rounds begin to dwindle, especially for the 2020 season, it is more and more important to earn as much money as you can since the PBR World Finals format looks a little different this year.  Moving from five nights to four and six rounds to five, the chances are not as great for these bull riders to take home a pocketful of cash at the end of the weekend.  Below we here at the Rodeo Round Up will continue to break down what the event average looks like so the picture may be a little more clear for all of you headed into tomorrow afternoon’s Championship Sunday performance.

World Finals Event Average Recap

Jose Vitor Leme (266.50) **CLINCHED WORLD TITLE**

Boudreaux Campbell (267.25)

Cody Teel (264.25)

Kaique Pacheco (255.75)

Derek Kolbaba (183.50)

Keyshawn Whitehorse (181.00)

Eduardo Aparecido (180.50)

Ryan Dirteater (179.25)

Tye Chandler (178.00)

Silvano Alves (172.50)

Marco Eguchi (172.00)

Cooper Davis (170.50)

Luciano De Castro (169.25)

Kyler Oliver (90.00)

J.B. Mauney (89.75)

Mason Taylor (89.25)

Ezekiel Mitchell (89.00)

Alex Cerqueira (89.00)

Dakota Louis (89.00)

Taylor Toves (89.00)

Brock Radford (89.00)

Cole Melancon (88.75)

Dalton Kasel (87.50)

Alex Cardozo (87.50)

Daylon Swearingen (88.50)

Brennon Eldred (83.75)

It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup.  You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews.

As 2020 would have it, nothing ever has gone or will go as planned, much to the satisfaction of the loyal fan base of the Professional Bull Riders here in Texas.  The talk around the area was how hard tickets for the 2020 PBR World Finals were to get due to the limited seating capacity brought on by COVID.  Surely,  it was not for the lack of trying to get those seats to watch their favorite bull rider or bucking bull perform before their very eyes.  Last night was an amazing start as the rank pen put on a show, same as the top bull riders did, while putting up thirteen qualified rides atop the very best of the best bucking bulls in the business today.

Following a night of a place and time when the AT&T Stadium felt almost like a ghost town inside of the arena due to COVID protocols the fans that were present filled the air with screams, cheers, and gasps it was time to turn our attention to tonight’s second round of action.  Many of those watching live and at home began to wonder how hard it was on their favorite bull riders after starting off the event 24-hours ago with the rank pen of bovine athletes who are chasing a world title of their own.

Jose Vitor Leme Rides Louisville Slugger In Round Two

Photo Credit: official_monson_photography

That question would soon be answered as the bulls began to get loaded in the chute and the feeling of anxious nerves began to signal the start of round two on a Friday night in Texas.  Those fans that made the trek to AT&T Stadium tonight were in for a treat, however, with a nice flare of cowgirl showmanship when the female athletes of the World Champion Rodeo Alliance (WCRA) came to settle some unfinished business on the dirt as well.  During the intermission, the top six team roping teams from a separate competition across town came to play on the dirt.  You can see our exclusive interviews over on the Rodeo Round-Up’s Facebook page if you would like to learn more about the female athletes that will be joining the festivities over the next two days as well!

Another man who is chasing a world title of his own this year and looks unstoppable is Brazillian bull rider Jose Vitor Leme who earned an 87.50 point score last night in round one.  Even though he placed deep in the round he is still on track to make a larger deficit for all those behind him to have to try and erase.  Tonight, he matched up with Hart Cattle / Ogden / Generations’ Louisville Slugger to the tune of 83.25 points, placing him seventh in the overall average while keeping his overall lead in the world title race.

Keyshawn Whitehorse Earns Top Score Honors In Round Two

Photo Credit: official_monson_photography

Last night was a crazy round where we saw, and concentrated on, the bovine athletes as their world title race took center stage.  Tonight, however, was the time for the top bull riders in the world to fine-tune their skills on a pen that is known as the “ridable” pen that would give them an opportunity to fairly easily put some points on the board.  As the rounds progress, it is important to begin to watch the average race unfold and see how things will begin to play out.

Much as expected, the qualified ride totals for tonight’s round equaled out to sixteen, which was a welcome sight to those watching live around the country.  Even though those rides were made, round number two belonged to Keyshawn Whitehorse who would put up a round-winning score of 91 points aboard Cord McCoy / Ronnie Chism Farms and Ranch’s Rocky that would put him solidly in that average and begin to make things a little more interesting.  Below the Rodeo Round Up Team begins to show round results as well as what the World Finals average race begins to look like, and will do that nightly until a world champion is crowned!

Complete List Of Qualified Rides In Round Two

Keyshawn Whitehorse (91.00)

Boudreaux Campbell (89.25)

Alex Cerqueira (89.00)

Eduardo Aparecido (89.00)

Marco Eguchi (88.75)

Cole Melancon (88.75)

Daylon Swearingen (88.50)

Tye Chandler (88.50)

Cody Teel (88.25)

Ryan Dirteater (88.25)

Alex Cardozo (87.50)

Silvano Alves (87.25)

Luciano De Castro (85.50)

Kaique Pacheco (84.25)

Brennon Eldred (83.75)

Jose Vitor Leme (83.25)

Eduardo Aparecido Leads The Event Average After Two Rounds

Photo Credit: official_monson_photography

Tonight was a round that everyone was waiting to see as the top bull riders in the world came out with guns blazing to put on a performance that no one will soon forget.  Even though the hype was the number of qualified rides made tonight, we must begin to turn our attention to the 2020 PBR World Finals event average race as it may have a huge impact on what the world title race will look like at the end of the Championship Sunday performance here at AT&T Stadium.  After two rounds of competition, Eduardo Aparecido will head into Saturday night as the early event leader after going two-for-two so far earning a total event score of 180.50 points!

World Finals Event Average Recap

Eduardo Aparecido (180.50)

Tye Chandler (178.00)

Boudreaux Campbell (177.25)

Cody Teel (175.75)

Silvano Alves (172.50)

Kaique Pacheco (171.25)

Jose Vitor Leme (170.75)

Luciano De Castro (169.25)

Derek Kolbaba (92.75)

Keyshawn Whitehorse (91.00)

Mason Taylor (89.25)

Alex Cerqueira (89.00)

Dakota Louis (89.00)

Brock Radford (89.00)

Cole Melancon (88.75)

Marco Eguchi (88.75)

Ryan Dirteater (88.25)

Alex Cardozo (87.50)

Daylon Swearingen (88.50)

Brennon Eldred (83.75)

Cooper Davis (82.75)

It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup.  You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews.

After a break from regular competition last week, the Professional Bull Riders Unleash The Beast Tour regained steam with another Midwest stop here in St. Louis, Missouri for the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational.  While some of the contestants here this weekend were able to nurse their aches and pains during the week off, others are coming in hot from a fantastic Global Cup event where select individuals were hand-picked to represent their respective countries in a very unique setting.  While much of the event was dominated by the bovine athletes in Texas one week ago, the top 35 bull riders in the world standings came into St. Louis ready to put their best feet forward and right the ship that was overshadowed last weekend inside of AT&T Stadium in Arington, although, the event itself provided many more opportunities for the cowboys to be roughed up which might cause even more problems here this weekend.

Coming into this weekend’s event, the main focus of a majority of those watching and following the action is that of the race at the top of the world standings between Jose Vitor Leme and Jess Lockwood, which continues from the PBR WOrld Finals this last November.  Each and every event so far in the 2020 season has had these two trading blows and, for the most part, matching ride for ride making the early-season world title race another one for the record books.  Looking at the match-ups here this weekend, we can expect to see much more of the same between these two with the only question of who will outperform the other, not only round to round but throughout the entire weekend to see who will come out of St. Louis with more world title race points than the other.

Claudio Montanha Jr. Takes Home The Round One Win In St. Louis

Photo Credit: Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media

As round one was set to begin, the top bull riders in the world looked to outshine their bovine counterparts as the bucking action began down on the arena floor in front of a sold-out St. Louis crowd.  Once the opening ceremonies and introductions were complete it was time for the evening’s pairings to take center stage, which all in all, looked like a round to test out newer bucking bulls and give up and coming bull riders a shot at stardom.  The reason I say this is because throughout the round the bucking bulls looked like they were nursing hangovers from the night before or were just learning how to act inside of the arena.  Although there were some nice rides and outs by the bulls, that was all overshadowed by the fact that the performance of the bovine athletes, minus a few select outs, was considered less than stellar with a large number of re-ride opportunities that were presented to the riders throughout the entire round on Saturday night.

All in all, there was not much to talk about performance-wise which left the fans watching live and on Ridepass hoping for more as Championship Sunday was the next thing on the list to close out the weekend here in St. Louis and the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational.  Things began very slowly and that momentum never really changed as the rides were ended prematurely as the sections continued to go by the wayside.  After all was said and done, there were only seven qualified rides made in round one that did not give the fans in attendance much to cheer about as their favorite riders were outmatched all night long.  Following the conclusion of round one, Claudio Montaha Jr. would take home top honors with a mediocre 87 point ride aboard Blake Sharp /Buckwild Bucking Stock’s Constant Sorrow, followed closely by six others who managed to make the eight-second buzzer.

COMPLETE BREAKDOWN OF ROUND ONE QUALIFIED RIDES IN ST. LOUIS

Claudio Montanha Jr. (87.00)

Jess Lockwood (86.50)

Jose Vitor Leme (84.75)

Cole Melancon / Marcus Mast (83.75)

Lucas Divino (82.25)

Aaron Kleier (81.50)

Daylon Swearingen Brings Home The 15/15 Bucking Battle Win

Photo Credit: Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media

Following round one earlier in the evening, the top fifteen bull riders in the world standings were given the chance to compete in another 15/15 Bucking Battle in hopes of earning some extra world title race points.  Hoping that their performance would not match the efforts put out in round one, where only seven total riders were made, they came into the round with a new confidence which absolutely showed as the ride totals in this edition of the 15/15 Bucking Battle were quite grand.  Things began to heat up right away and after all was said and done and the dust settled there would be another seven qualified rides made, which is half of the field in this particular round, which allowed the fans watching to finally get up off their seats and cheer a little bit on a Saturday night.  Daylon Swearingen would be the man to take the walk to the top of the shark cage after a round-winning 91.75 point ride atop of Bloyd Land & Cattle Company Inc.’s I’m Legit Too, closely followed by the rest of the field who put up impressive scores of their own.

COMPLETE BREAKDOWN OF 15/15 BUCKING BATTLE QUALIFIED RIDES

Daylon Swearingen (91.75)

Matt Triplett (91.50)

Jose Vitor Leme (89.75)

Jess Lockwood (89.25)

Kaique Pacheco (87.75)

Dener Babosa (87.50)

Derek Kolbaba (85.75)

Jose Vitor Leme Brings Home The Round Two Top Ride

Photo Credit: Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media

Following a disastrous round one performance by most of the top 35 bull riders in the world, each and every one of them came into Championship Sunday with a chip on their shoulder and with something to prove to the loyal fans that cheer them on each weekend and to themselves for that matter.  Coming into round two, the chance of making the championship round later in the day was still wide open and they all knew that after only seven qualified rides were made, leaving eight open spots still available.  On paper, the parings looked extremely favorable for the cowboys but the bovine athletes looked to continue the dominant trend that they have established over the last two weekends, both here and in Arlington, Texas at the PBR Global Cup event last weekend.

When the lights began to grow bright down on the arena floor it was time to get down to business and, hopefully, see more qualified rides than we did last night in round one.  Every one of the cowboys here this weekend was looking ahead to what they had to do to make it to the Championship Round later in the afternoon which was still wide open as round two began on Championship Sunday.  The action began quickly and the ride totals slowly began to creep up, looking to fill all of the available fifteen sots for the championship round.  Once all was said and done there would be other 13 qualified rides being made with Jose Vitor Leme standing tall as the round two winner with an 89 point ride on K-C Bucking Bulls / Spark-lin Acres’s Inferno.  As round one looked glim, round two gave us some excitement which ended with a combined 16 riders making the eight-second buzzer in at least one of the two rounds, filling out the needed fifteen spots in the Championship Round.

COMPLETE BREAKDOWN OF ROUND TWO QUALIFIED RIDES

Jose Vitor Leme (89.00)

Jess Lockwood (88.50)

Claudio Montanha Jr. (87.75)

Colten Jesse (87.50)

Mason Taylor / Brennon Eldred (86.25)

Ramon de Lima (85.75)

Daylon Swearingen / Eduardo Aparecido (85.50)

Matt Triplett (83.75)

Taylor Toves (83.00)

Dakota Louis (81.50)

Lucas Divino (59.00)

Daylon Swearingen Rides To The Championship Round Victory

Photo Credit: Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media

The championship round here in St. Louis was one that would change the tide of how the weekend would be remembered by all the fans watching either live, on Ridepass or on CBS Sports Network.  The top fifteen bull riders from the first two rounds put out some great effort while combining to earn six qualified rides that brought the crowd to their feet in the excitement of what they were witnessing.  Throughout the round, many great performances were seen but none could beat the amazing ride that Daylon Swearingen put up aboard JD Nix / Sosa Buckers’ Sosa’s Alley Cat to the tune of 90 huge points to win the championship round here at the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational.  The 15/15 win and the championship round win shot him up the world standings leaderboard as we head towards Kansas City next weekend.

COMPLETE BREAKDOWN OF CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND QUALIFIED RIDES

Daylon Swearingen (90.00)

Jose Vitor Leme (88.75)

Lucas Divino (88.50)

Taylor Toves / Brennon Eldred (87.00)

Ramon de Lima (83.50)

Jose Vitor Leme Is Crowned The 2020 U.S. Border Patrol Invitational Champion

Photo Credit: Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media

Fighting through a tough weekend seemed to be the name of the game here in St. Louis but after all was said and done the rides began to total up and things began to swing back towards the cowboys favor as the weekend drew to a close.  Through thick and thin there were a handful of cowboys that would manage to leave St. Louis with a renewed confidence that will be needed as we head across the state next weekend.  Ine of those men, Jose Vitor Leme, would be one of only two men to cover all of their bulls this weekend and would extend his world title race lead with a huge event win here at the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational after the dust settled and the last bull had been bucked out here in St. Louis.

After another event is in the books here in St. Louis as the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational has drawn to a close, we have a small trip ahead of us as we make out way across the state over to Kansas City, Missouri next week’s event.  Things may begin to look a little different as the first major change and shift in the atmosphere is upon us.  Now we will begin to see changes every five events as the bottom five in the Unleash The Beast standings will be knocked down to the Velocity tour while the top five performers in the Velocity Tour will be given a chance to make their names known on the Unleash The Beast Tour.  Each year we watch this happen and we begin to see new start emerge that may be able to stay on tour for a very long time if they can do enough to rank themselves up in the middle of the UTB standings.

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It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup.  You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews.

 

 

Following the 2019 PBR Global Cup, where the United States teams underwhelmed, they looked to come into this year’s edition with the attitude of they had something to prove and to bring the trophy back home to the host country soil.  After last night’s events, one of the two United States teams would manage to do just that but the other is having the same type of luck as they did just one year ago.  Talking about a tale of two teams, the United States Team Eagles have soared to the number one spot among the six teams while the United States Team Wolves come into day number two nursing their wounds and looking to change the tide after only going one for eight and currently in the last place in the six-way standings.  It will be interesting to see how all the teams respond to their performances and efforts that they put up last night in front of a sold-out crowd.

Night number one gave us all many things to think about, some things to cheer about and a few things to even pray about following a brutal yet exciting night of action down on the arena floor as the 2020 season continues to rack up notable injuries and outstanding rides.  On the good side of this equation, we get to talk about a pairing that continues to take center stage, just as they did until the very last ride of the season one year ago in 2019.  Jess Lockwood and Jose Vitor Leme continue to lay cat and mouse with each and every ride that they make with both of them posting up 90.25 point rides last night, giving each of them a share of the high-marked ride of the night.  On the other hand, it was a brutally tough night on the cowboys as many were banged up and injured, most notably  Cody Teel who has to be cleared for competition through the concussion protocol to see if he can continue after being knocked out last night.

Team Brazil’s Jose Vitor Leme Puts Up Highest Mared Ride For Day Two

Photo Credit: Jeana / Rokin’ K Photos

Even newer fans of professional bull riding can agree with die-hard and seasoned fans of the sport that what we saw last night in round one was both nail-biting and exciting mixed with concern and wonderment.  Some of the most notable things that were taken away from last night is that of the Team Canada and Team Brazil performances.  Team Canada came going a perfect two-for-two, being the only team to post any scores on the board, raising some eyebrows as a possible team to beat throughout the weekend.  On the other hand, Team Brazil did all that they could to raise some concern about how they were performing after winning it all in 2019 and only going one-for eight last night.  All that would be forgotten very quickly when two of the best bull riders in the world went toe to toe to steal the show for their respective country teams.

Much the same as last night, the main focus would be on which country would leave AT&T Stadium here in Arlington, Texas with the Global Cup title and trophy following this afternoon’s festivities but we still want to dedicate a moment to the day’s top ride that would begin to set the tone for the day.  Yesterday it was two, Jose Vitor Leme and Jess Lockwood, that would split the high-marked ride of the day but today there would be only one.  After posting a whopping 89.50 point ride aboard Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve’s Jive Turkey Team Brazil’s Jose Vitor Leme would walk out of the event with the distinction of providing the highest marked ride of day two that would help his team out tremendously in the overall standings.  Even though that was celebrated with his team inside of the arena there was still a bigger prize to award later in the day.  You can see a complete breakdown of day two below as we looked to crown a new Global Cup Championship Team.

BREAKDOWN OF DAY TWO AND COMBINED TEAM POINT TOTALS BELOW:

United States Team Eagles

TEAM TOTAL (Day One): 346.75 – 4 Rides

Matt Triplett (88.75)

Cole Melancon (88.25)

OVERALL TEAM TOTAL: 523.75 1st Place

 

United States Team Wolves

TEAM TOTAL (Day One): 85.25 – 1 Ride

OVERALL TEAM TOTAL: 85.25 6th Place

 

Team Canada

TEAM TOTAL (Day One): 259.75 – 3 Rides

OVERALL TEAM TOTAL: 259.75 4th Place

 

Team Australia

TEAM TOTAL (Day One): 169.75 – 2 Rides

Lachlan Richardson (88.50)

Nathan Burtenshaw (87.00)

Troy Wilkinson (84.75)

Aaron Kleier (84.50)

OVERALL TEAM TOTAL: 514.50 2nd Place

 

Team Mexico

TEAM TOTAL (Day One): 89.00 – 1 Ride

OVERALL TEAM TOTAL: 89.00 5th Place

 

Team Brazil

TEAM TOTAL (Day One): 90.25 – 1 Ride

Jose Vitor Leme (89.50)

Jose Vitor Leme (89.00)

Eduardo Aparecido (87.50)

Kaique Pacheco (79.50)

OVERALL TEAM TOTAL: 435.75 3rd Place

 

Team United States Eagles Wins The 2020 PBR Global Cup

Photo Credit: Jeana / Rokin’ K Photos

This year’s Professional Bull Riders Global Cup was one that will not be soon forgotten for all those that were able to watch the action live or through Ride Pass or CBS platforms as the action was hot and heavy both night this weekend.  For the six teams from five countries that competed, whether you win or lose the cup, they had the honor of representing their home countries on an international basis so it is easy to say that each and every one of them came out of this weekend as winners in our book.  That being said, we still have to crown a winning country’s team and this year that was not an easy task to complete.  After all the dust settled and the fans were able to take a deep breath, we finally crowned Team United States Eagles the 2020 Professional Bull Riders Global Cup-winning team and congratulations to them for a job well done to bring the trophy home for the season!

To say that the 2020 Professional Bull Riders Global Cup event was a huge success would be an absurd understatement after what all of us were able to watch over the last two days of action inside AT&T Stadium here in Arlington, Texas.  We can not say thank you enough to Jeana with Rokin’ K Photos for deciding to renew her partnership with us here at Rodeo Round-Up as it helps expand our live coverage that we are able to bring you each year across the country, not to mention the amazing shots that she is able to get to share with us all as well.  Now that we are all able to relax and take a deep breath we are getting ready to share a huge amount of event pictures with you on social media so stay tuned and keep an eye out for that.  A huge congratulations go out to Team ______ on an outstanding 2020 Global Cup win that will be remembered for years to come!

Follow The Rodeo Roundup

It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup.  You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews.

 

 

Once again this year. the top hand-picked bull riders in the Professional Bull Riders organization will take a step back from the Unleash The Beast Tour to have the honor of competing for their home countries as the Global Cup makes its way back to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  The format here this weekend is quite different from what we see every other weekend across the country as there will be absolutely no points available for the event, just the honor of taking home the Global Cup trophy for their country at the end of Sunday afternoon.  There are six different teams competing, the United States Eagles, the United States Wolves, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, and Australia each with seven contestants from each visiting country and fourteen for the home country team, six riders and one alternate with home country team doubling up on that number.

The six above named teams with each send out six riders in four rounds over the two day period with two bonus rounds each day with two more opportunities for riders from each country to get a score up on the board.  Now, here is where it gets tricky and it can be hard to begin to figure out who will win the Global Cup until the very last ride on Sunday afternoon.  Even though there may be more than ten qualified rides put up per country, only the top ten scores over the two-day event will count towards their combined total.  That being said, the more qualified rides a team can make the better chances they have to take home the cup for the 2020 edition of the PBR’s Global Cup.  You have seen over the course of the last few weeks teams change and the dynamics heighten as early-season injuries have forced a whole new look about who needs to step up and make a name for themselves inside of AT&T Stadium.

Jose Vitor Leme & Jess Lockwood Make The High Marked Rides Of Night One

Photo Credit: Jeana from Rokin’ K Photos

Every cowboy coming into this weekend knows that they are not riding for themselves but for their country they are representing and the effort and grit that we saw in night one was significant of what the true meaning was for each of them.  There were eight opportunities for each country and team to post up points in night number one and after all was said and done, that is exactly what had happened, making tomorrow’s action one to pay close attention to.  Team Canada came out with guns blazing beginning the event with the first two qualified rides, being the only team to post any scores up on the board.  After night one was concluded, it would be Team United States Eagles that would take the early lead posting up four qualified rides and setting themselves up great for a nice run to the finish with a full one bull lead ahead of all other teams.  You can see a complete breakdown of qualified rides per team below heading into Sunday afternoon’s final day of action.

Even though the main focus of the weekend will be the overall team scores and the total amount of rides posted for each, it is also important for team morale to take away small wins each day here in Arlington, Texas.  Many of those small victories will be in personal bests, amazing feats and, of course, high-marked rides.  Tonight we want to focus some attention on just that, the high-marked ride of the night as our team member Jeana from Rokin’ K Photos is in the house to capture all of the action and excitement through her lens.  Tonight, the man taking center stage of our Rodeo Round-Up focus would be Team Brazil’s Jose Vitor Leme and United States Team Eagle’s Jess Lockwood who would both ride to the tune of 90.25 points to bring home the highest marked rides of the night for their teams, sending them into Sunday afternoon full of energy and confidence!

TEAM SCORES FROM NIGHT ONE OF THE 2020 PBR GLOBAL CUP

United States Team Eagles

Jess Lockwood (90.25) * Round 1 *

Jess Lockwood (88.50) * Bonus Round *

Cole Melancon (86.00)

Cody Teel (82.00)

TEAM TOTAL: 346.75 – 4 Rides

 

United States Team Wolves

Colten Jesse (85.25) * Round One *

TEAM TOTAL: 85.25 – 1 Ride

 

Team Canada

Zane Lambert (87.75)

Jake Gardner (87.00)

Jordan Hansen (85.00)

TEAM TOTAL: 259.75 – 3 Rides

 

Team Australia

Cliff Richarson (85.50)

Aaron Kleier (84.25)

TEAM TOTAL: 169.75 – 2 Rides

 

Team Mexico

Edgar Durazo (89.00)

TEAM TOTAL: 89.00 – 1 Ride

 

Team Brazil

Jose Vitor Leme (90.25) * Round One/Ride One *

TEAM TOTAL: 90.25 – 1 Ride

Now that round one is in the books and the dust has settled, we are beginning to see the glimpse of light about how things may play out tomorrow afternoon as the Rodeo Round-Up and Rokin’ K Photos team are in the house to bring you up to date on all information related to the 2020 PBR Global Cup.  Jeana and crew will once again be in attendance tomorrow to keep you all updated with some amazing pictures from the arena floor as well as any breaking news or announcements live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  We are excited to be covering this huge event again this year and hope that you will continue to enjoy our in-depth and personal coverage that each of our team members strives to bring to you throughout the year as we travel from coast to coast!

Follow The Rodeo Roundup

It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup.  You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews.

 

Throughout the first six rounds of the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo we have seen some of the best performances that we have seen in recent memory from inside of the Thomas & Mack here in Las Vegas.  As everyone knows, as the last few rounds of the event continue to draw nearer to a close all of the world title races begin to take shape and the event average begins to bring on a whole new meaning to how that will all look at the end of Saturday night.  As we look at rounds seven through nine we may be able to officially announce some world champions prior to round ten but that will be very few if any as almost every world title race is just way too close to call before we even conclude the tenth and final round here in just a few short days.  To say the anticipation is at the max would be an understatement as everything heats up over the next four nights of action.

Following six rounds of action, we are accustomed to seeing a slew of Wrangler National Finals Rodeo veterans having an event to end their season in spectacular fashion but that has been overshadowed this year by a group that we are not used to talking about so much this late in the event.  As the rounds begin to click down the 2019 WNFR rookie class is putting on a show of their own with multiple go-round wins and steady climbs up the world standings leaderboard, having a few of them reach the number one spot in the world along with the number one spot in the average.  Knowing that these young guns are giving everything that they have got to see if they can put that world champion belt buckle around their waist at the end of Saturday night’s tenth performance of the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Zeke Thurston Wins Round Seven In The Saddle Bronc Riding

Photo Credit: cowboysindians.com

Coming into round seven of the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo we usually begin to see the world title races begin to play out and can almost guarantee at least one race as the rounds get later and later into the event.  This year that is far from the truth as world leaders have made huge mistakes while up and coming WNFR rookies have taken full advantage of those mistakes along with many others chasing them in the world standings race with just four rounds remaining in the 2019 professional rodeo season.  Every one of these cowboys and cowgirls knew that it was beginning to enter into the now or never moment of the season.  It would be interesting to see who would step up to the plate on an action-packed round seven performance inside of the Thomas & Mack Arena.

That is exactly what many did tonight as a few of those professional rodeo athletes did tonight that came into round seven barely sitting in the number one position in the world standings race.  Bareback rider Clayton Biglow split the round three ways last night and followed that up with a round seven win earlier tonight to pad his lead atop of the world standings leaderboard while Zeke Thurston would do the very same in the classic cowboy event of saddle bronc riding.  Along with these world leaders doing what they had to do there were also a few that would have either their first taste of WNFR go-round monies or better yet their first WNFR go-round win as well as the rookies continuing to impress as we look ahead to the last three rounds of action where the average will surely make a huge impact just three nights from now!

ROUND SEVEN WINNERS IN EACH EVENT

Bareback: Clayton Biglow (91.50)

Steer Wrestling: Stetson Jorgensen (3.40 Seconds)

Team Roping: Cody Snow & Wesley Thorp (3.60 Seconds)

Saddle Bronc Riding: Zeke Thurston (92.50)

Tie-Down Roping: Tyler Milligan (7.50 Seconds)

Barrel Racing: Hailey Kinsel (13.60 Seconds)

Bull Riding: Sage Steele Kimzey (90.00)

Clayton Biglow Continues His Dream WNFR

Photo Credit: prorodeo.com

Throughout the n rounds of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, each year we see many cowboys and cowgirls fight through pain and disasters as the rounds get deeper into the week as ten straight nights begin to take a toll on the athletes here in Las Vegas.  So far this week we have been fortunate enough to only see two contestants have their 2019 WNFR finished early due to injuries while others make huge strides in their own professional rodeo careers.  In the cowgirl professional barrel racing, everyone all but wrote Hailey Kinsel out of the world title race but she has silently climber her way back up to the number one spot in the world standings and is projected to take home another world title much to many people’s surprise her in Las Vegas at the 2019 WNFR.

When we talk about a storybook Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, we are all seeing that play out before our very eyes over the last four rounds in the bareback riding event that starts off each and every one of the ten performances.  Clayton Biglow had one goal before round one began last Thursday night and that was to leave Las Vegas ten days later with a new world championship title and Montana Silversmith belt buckle to go along with it.  After coming in and winning the last four consecutive rounds he is not only doing that but is also in line to take home a beautiful 2020 Dodge RAM pick-up truck for bringing home the e2019 RAM Top Gun award as well.  This award goes to the top money-earning contestant at the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in which he is dominating with three rounds of action remaining in the season.

ROUND EIGHT WINNERS IN EACH EVENT

Bareback: Clayton Biglow (90.00)

Steer Wrestling: Will Lummus (3.60 Seconds)

Team Roping: Brenten Hall  & Chase Tryan  (4.30 Seconds)

Kaleb Driggers & Junior Nogueira

Saddle Bronc Riding: Jake Watson (89.50)

Tie-Down Roping: Cooper Martin, Tyler Milligan & Riley Pruitt (7.50 Seconds)

Barrel Racing: Hailey Kinsel (13.54 Seconds)

Bull Riding: Sage Steele Kimzey (94.00)

Zeke Thurton Rides For J.R. Verzain Into The Round Nine Win

Photo Credit: cowboysindians.com

Each and every year, as the rounds continue to wide down, the mistakes begin to dash hopes of many cowboys and cowgirls at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo here in Las Vegas and tonight’s action was just that.  There were many instances that we were all left scratching our heads as to what exactly we just witnessed down on the arena floor when we thought a few of the world titles were all but secured then the infamous round nine happens.  One of those cowboys who had a disastrous round nine was bull rider Sage Steele Kimzey who gave up the average lead after coming down early but luckily he had a big enough lead that it would not affect his world title race standing.  On the other side of the fence, steer Tyler Waguespack came into round nine only needing to have two clean runs to secure his world title and he had a no time here tonight dropping him out of the race going into round ten tomorrow night.

Along with all of the well-known disasters that round nine can give the contestants, there are also some great and inspirational stories that we see unfold both down on the arena floor and throughout the interviews that follow the conclusion of the round.  Tonight, that story would take place in the classic event of saddle bronc riding where an emotional story would play out in Zeke Thurston’s round nine win.  The horse he drew was the exact same horse that he helped his friend and fellow bronc rider J.R. Verzain win a round on here at the WNFR before his untimely accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.  During his emotional interview, he would dedicate his ride and win in tonight’s round nine to him after receiving some words of encouragement prior to the round by Verzain’s wife.

ROUND NINE WINNERS IN EACH EVENT

Bareback: Jake Brown (89.50)

Steer Wrestling: Ty Erickson (3.60 Seconds)

Team Roping: Kaleb Driggers & Junior Nogueira (3.60 Seconds)

Saddle Bronc Riding: Zeke Thurston (91.00)

Tie-Down Roping: Marty Yates (7.00 Seconds)

Barrel Racing: Stevi Hillman (13.53 Seconds)

Bull Riding: Boudreaux Campbell (91.00)

2019 World Championship Leaders Through Nine Rounds

Bareback: Clayton Biglow

Steer Wrestling: Ty Erickson

Team Roping: Clay Smith & Junior Nogueira

Saddle Bronc Riding: Zeke Thurston

Tie-Down Roping: Shane Hanchey

Barrel Racing: Hailey Kinsel

Bull Riding: Sage Steele Kimzey

All-Around: Stetson Wright

2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Average Race Through Round Nine

Bareback: Clayton Biglow

Steer Wrestling: Matt Reeves

Team Roping: Cody Snow & Wesley Thorp

Saddle Bronc Riding: Brody Cress

Tie-Down Roping: Haven Meged

Barrel Racing: Ivy Conrado

Bull Riding: Boudreaux Campbell

All-Around: Stetson Wright

RAM Top Gun Award: Clayton Biglow

We have seen nine rounds of fantastic professional rodeo action From Las Vegas this year as the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo has played out inside of the Thomas & Mack Arena but we are far from done as the most important night in these cowboys and cowgirls season is just 24-hours away.  Tomorrow is the tenth and final round of the WNFR and a night that we will crown all of our new world champions that will definitely include some talented 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo rookies.  A majority of these world title races will not be decided until the final ride is completed down on the arena floor which will make for one of the most exciting round ten performances that we have been able to witness in the history of the sport and of the WNFR ever!  Keep an eye out on our facebook page for up to the minute world champion announcements throughout the performance tomorrow night.

Follow The Rodeo Roundup

It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup.  You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews.

 

Now that the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is in full swing we have started to see a unique pattern beginning to develop here inside of the Thomas & Mack with a slew of contestants showing consistent effort night in and night out.  Over the first three performances records were broken and great displays of athleticism have been displayed down on the arena floor in front of nightly sold-out crowds.  Not only have we seen great effort on the cowboy and cowgirl side of things but the level of animal superiority had again been top-notch in which we will continue to see throughout the rest of the week here in Las Vegas.  that being said, when these contestants compete for ten straight days the injuries have began piling up but each of them are fighting through the pain in search of a world championship title of their own.

One thing that we have not touched on too much this year or even years in the past is the huge demand that the top rodeo athletes in the world have each day outside of the arena even before they make their way to the Thomas & Mack each night.  Many may not know but the competing may be the easiest time each day that those competing have as many will be pulled many different directions from sun up to sun down for the ten straight days they are in Las Vegas.  They have obligations to appearances, autograph signings, television interviews, Justin Sports Medicine visits and numerous other things.  The schedule that these cowboys and cowgirls are required to keep would be enough to make any of us throw in the towel early on and hope and pray for a short breather at any point in time.

Rusty Wright Wins Round Four In The Saddle Bronc Riding

Photo Credit: PRCA Media

During the first three rounds of action, we have watched a select few of the athletes have a start to the 2019 Wrangle National Finals Rodeo that one could only dream of and as the fourth round progressed it looked like we would continue to see much more of the same.  Not many times in recent memory can we think about having the amount of multi go-round wins by the same person that we have seen so far here in 2019.  A majority of the seven events have already seen one contestant earn two or more go-round wins which gives each of them a legitimate shot at taking home a beautiful Dodge RAM pick-up truck for earning the RAM Top Gun Award.  That trend would continue as round four played out Sunday night inside the Thomas & Mack that would earn each event winner a trip to South Point Hotel and Casino later in the evening.

Tonight we would see exactly what we just talked about above three times out of the seven chances as tie-down roper Shane Hanchey, barrel racer Emily Miller and bull rider Stetson Wright would each earn their second go-round win throughout the first four performances.  Making this even more special, two Wrangler National Finals Rodeo rookies are part of those honors as Miller and Wright re each competing for the first time here in Las Vegas.  Tonight, however, Rusty Wright would make memories after earning a go-round win in the saddle bronc riding after having his dad, Cody Wright, behind the bucking chutes with him giving him some words of encouragement.  Those words must have worked as Rusty would ride his horse to the tune of 89.50 points on Sunday night.

ROUND FOUR WINNERS IN EACH EVENT

Bareback: Orin Larsen (90.00)

Steer Wrestling: Bridger Chambers (3.60 Seconds)

Team Roping: Chad Masters & Joseph Harrison (3.70 Seconds)

Saddle Bronc Riding: Rusty Wright (89.50)

Tie-Down Roping: Shane Hanchey (7.50 Seconds)

Barrel Racing: Emily Miller (13.64 Seconds)

Bull Riding: Stetson Wright (91.00)

Tyson Durfey Competes In Round Five

Photo Credit: Rodeo News

Coming into the fifth round of the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo we are seeing the WNFR rookies perform like we have not seen in many years here inside of the Thomas & Mack on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas.  Before the round started we saw two of these rookies holding down not only the number one spot in the WNFR average race but with the efforts that they have put in here they also were holding down the number one position in the world standings race as well.  If they can keep up their actions here over the last half of the event we will see not only a new world champion but we will also send them home with a huge pocket full of cash and a brand new Dodge RAM truck for winning the RAM Top Gun Award for the 2019 season at the conclusion of Saturday night’s tenth and final round.

Every year, night number five of Wrangler National Finals Rodeo takes on a whole new meaning for every contestant competing as well as thousands of professional rodeo fans watching live or from home as the Thomas & Mack turn pink.  The annual Tough Enough To Wear Pink night supports and remembers all those lost, battling or surviving breast cancer.  There are a few contestants that come into the fifth round with even more passion after having family members that have a history of this disease.  One of the most notable is tie-down roper Tyson Durfey who has worn a pink shirt all season long for many seasons due to his own family dealing with breast cancer and he wears it proudly to represent all those having to deal with the terrible diagnosis.  That being said, this is why the spotlight has been on him tonight in our round five segment but you can see the complete list of event go-round winners below.

ROUND FIVE WINNERS IN EACH EVENT

Bareback: Clayton Biglow (92.50)

Steer Wrestling: Kyle Irwin (3.70 Seconds)

Team Roping: Chad Masters & Joseph Harrison (4.20 Seconds)

Saddle Bronc Riding: Jake Watson (92.00)

Tie-Down Roping: Ty Harris (7.40 Seconds)

Barrel Racing: Dona Kay Rule (13.56 Seconds)

Bull Riding: Daylon Swearingen (92.00)

Boudreaux Campbell Brings Home The Bull Riding Go-Round Win In Round Six Of The 2019 WNFR

Photo Credit: PRCA Media/Todd Brewer

Following a very exciting and dramatic round five last night it is time to turn towards the home stretch as the back half of the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo takes center stage which should be another fantastic time to be a professional rodeo fan.  Throughout the first five rounds, the WNFR rookies have proven to have what it takes to compete inside of the Thomas & Mack Arena as many of them make big moves up the world standings leaderboards and are poised to receive a huge payday on Saturday night for placing well within the event average race as well.  Tonight, the sold-out crowd was once again treated to another hard-fought round of professional rodeo action as the top fifteen contestants in each of the traditional seven pro rodeo events brought their talents to the arena floor.

Tonight we finally get to focus on the favorite event of many fans, the sport of professional bull riding as the pen of buckers that the bull riders consider “rider-friendly” make their way to the Thomas & Mack floor.  That being said, there really is no such thing as a rider-friendly bucking bull when it comes to the livestock that is featured here at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.  In tonight’s round six, ten of the fifteen riders managed to make it to the eight-second buzzer that left the crowd in awe of what they just witnessed on a Tuesday night in Las Vegas.  After all was said and done, it was Boudreaux Campbell who would come out atop of the rest of the field earning him a go-round win and a cool $26,000 and a trip to the South Point Hotel and Casino to go along with it.

ROUND SIX WINNERS IN EACH EVENT

Bareback: Caleb Bennett/Tilden Hooper/Clayton Biglow (88.50)

Steer Wrestling: Tyler Waguespack (3.70 Seconds)

Team Roping: Riley Minor & Brady Minor (4.00 Seconds)

Saddle Bronc Riding: Dawson Hay (88.50)

Tie-Down Roping: Ty Harris (7.10 Seconds)

Barrel Racing: Amberleigh Moore (13.55 Seconds)

Bull Riding: Boudreaux Campbell (92.50)

2019 World Championship Leaders Through Six Rounds

Bareback: Clayton Biglow

Steer Wrestling: Tyler Waguespack

Team Roping: Clay Smith & Jade Corkill

Saddle Bronc Riding: Zeke Thurston

Tie-Down Roping: Shane Hanchey

Barrel Racing: Hailey Kinsel

Bull Riding: Sage Steele Kimzey

All-Around: Stetson Wright

2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Average Race Through Round Six

Bareback: Clayton Biglow

Steer Wrestling: Tyler Waguespack

Team Roping: Brenten Hall & Chase Tryan

Saddle Bronc Riding: Rusty Wright

Tie-Down Roping: Haven Meged

Barrel Racing: Emily Miller

Bull Riding: Sage Steele Kimzey

All-Around: Stetson Wright

RAM Top Gun Award: Amberleigh Moore

Things are surely heating up in Las Vegas as the rounds begin to wind down and the time for advancing up the world standings leaderboards are drawing to a close.  That being said, the average race here at the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo begins to play a big role in that and we will see how it all begins to play out in our next segment following round nine on Friday night.  This will bring us all to our last feature following the conclusion of round ten when we crown our new 2019 professional rodeo world champions to end a spectacular 2019 professional rodeo season that will be remembered for years to come!

Follow The Rodeo Roundup

It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup.  You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews.

 

After a long and hard-fought battle throughout the 2019 professional rodeo season, the top cowboys and cowgirls in the world converged, once again, on Las Vegas for the superbowl or rodeo, the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.  Athletes from both the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Womens Professional Rodeo Association began a te-night competition to determine who would walk out of Las Vegas with a new World Champion title to take home.  As many of you know, only the top fifteen contestants in the world standings are invited to this prestigious event held each year inside of the Thomas & Mack Arena on the campus of the University of Nevada – Las Vegas.  With world title races as close as ever and a slew of rookies mixed in with seasoned veterans, this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo will be one to watch!

You may notice that the Rodeo Round Up’s coverage may be a little different this year and this is because I was unable to make the trip out west due to other obligations but that will not change the fact that we will still be covering the event.  One change you may see is that we will break our coverage up into four different parts that will all come to a head on the tenth and final night of action as we crown our new world champions.  The first segment will be rounds one through three while four through six will be the next update with seven through nine following that.  The final recap that will be offered this year is from the tenth and final night to announce the new world champions in each of the seven events.  That being said, we will still be providing updates on our social media platform each night that a story is not published.

Richie Champion Wins Round One In The Bareback Riding

Photo Credit: PRCA Media/Clay Guardipee

Things started off with a bang in round one on Saturday night as the jitters and nerves seemed to not be much of a factor as we have seen in years past with the rookie Wrangler National Finals Rodeo contestants.  This speaks volumes about the character of the veterans in the field as they act as mentors to those experiencing this honor for the first time.  Round one was truly one for the record books as the round one record was broken three times in one single event which was absolutely something to witness and that will be remembered for years to come.  It all started with the bareback riding where this happened to kick things off in a huge way with Richmond Champion breaking it for the third time of the evening with his re-ride aboard Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Night Crawler to the tune of 91.50 points, a horse that he had never been on before.

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo rookies also had a very nice outing in the first round on Saturday night with two of them taking home round winning honors on their very first try inside of the Thomas & Mack.  In the cowgirl barrel racing, WNFR rookie Emily Miller made her mark on the record books with a round winning run of 13.63 seconds, which is one of the best round one runs in the history of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo!  That was immediately followed by another WNFR rookie in the bull riding as a classic last name in professional rodeo made a mark outside of their classic event of saddle bronc riding.  Young gun Stetson Wright would deviate from family tradition and qualify for this year’s WNFR in the bull riding in which he would win his first go-round winning buckle with a huge 92.50 point rides atop of 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Monte Walsh.  A complete list of go-round winners from each event are listed below.

ROUND ONE WINNERS IN EACH EVENT

Bareback: Richmond Champion (91.50)

Steer Wrestling: Dakota Eldridge (3.60 Seconds)

Team Roping: Tyler Wade & Cole Davison (4.0 Seconds)

Saddle Bronc Riding: Zeke Thurston (88.00)

Tie-Down Roping: Shane Hanchey (7.60 Seconds)

Barrel Racing: Emily Miller (13.63 Seconds)

Bull Riding: Stetson Wright (92.50)

Dona Kay Rule Leads The Way In Barrel Racing IN Round Two

Photo Credit: PRCA Media/James Phifer

Following a fantastic start to the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in round one last night, the energy, enthusiasm, and expectations were set for another exciting round on Friday night as the action continues in night number two.  While things began to ramp up and the contestants began to settle into their rhythm, the average look was the furthest thing from most of their minds before round two started but that all quickly changed in a few of the events with misguided runs and the show of what pure cowboy heart is.  The sold-out crowd witnessed it all in the second round s things began to happen at a rapid pace throughout the night.  One of those was Hunter Cure’s run in the steer wrestling when he gave everything he had to complete his run and not fall out of the average race early on but left everyone wondering how much damage he did to his body following the incident down on the arena floor.

The feel-good story from round two here on Friday night has to be that of the lovely and talented Dona Kay Rule in the cowgirl professional barrel racing as she came into the Thomas & Mack proving that age is just a number that does not matter as long as you have heart.  Rule, who has also qualified for the RFD-TV’s The American says that at her 60+years of age she feels as good as ever in which she proved just that earlier in the evening.  She would bring the crowd to their feet after winning the second go-round with a blazing 13.69-second run that would set her up nicely for the rest of the week after getting the go-round win she needed early on in the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo event.  The complete list of event go-round winners are once again posted below.

ROUND TWO WINNERS IN EACH EVENT

Bareback: Trenten Montero (90.50)

Steer Wrestling: Tyler Waguespack (3.60 Seconds)

Team Roping: Clay Smith & Jade Corkill (4.40 Seconds)

Saddle Bronc Riding: Jesse Wright (89.50)

Tie-Down Roping: Marty Yates (7.30 Seconds)

Barrel Racing: Dona Kay Rule (13.69 Seconds)

Bull Riding: Garrett Smith (91.50)

Tyler Wade & Cole Davison Win Round Three In The Team Roping

Photo Credit: The Team Roping Journal

As the lights shined brightly down on the arena floor and the crowd began to file in, the anticipation of what was going to happen underneath the Saturday night lights filled the air with the energy that was expected at the biggest professional rodeo event in the world.  After the conclusion of round three, the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo would be a third of the way over and the look of the average and how it will come into play began to be something major to watch as the world title races tightened tremendously.  We began to see many more uns at the barriers and tighter turns round barrels but the rough stock event cowboys were just hoping to get through round three as the eliminator pen was out and they always give the cowboys all they can handle which begins to stack up on the aches and pains on the Justin Sports Medicine report coming into round four.

We spoke earlier about making extreme runs at barriers to try and get a leg up on the competition and tonight in round three we will maintain focus on just that as we look at the team roping and feature two outstanding athletes.  Tyler Wade and Cole Davison who are making their 2nd and 3rd Wrangler National Finals Rodeo appearances are having a 2019 WNFR that they could only dream of over the first three rounds.  They would win round one on Thursday night and come back two nights later to do the very same thing with a go-round win n Saturday night with a very fast 3.70-second run that put all other contestants n notice early on in the event.  That is not the only race to keep an eye on so we have again given you the full rundown of go-round winners from round three below.

ROUND THREE WINNERS IN EACH EVENT

Bareback: Tanner Aus (90.00)

Steer Wrestling: Hunter Cure (3.80 Seconds)

Team Roping: Tyler Wade & Cole Davison (3.70 Seconds)

Saddle Bronc Riding: Chase Brooks (90.00)

Tie-Down Roping: Tuf Cooper (6.90 Seconds

Barrel Racing: Amberleigh Moore (13.62 Seconds)

Bull Riding: Koby Radley (92.00)

As we look ahead to our next complete 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo recap following the conclusion of round six, we will begin to monitor the overall average race and include that into our coverage as well throughout the last two editions as we lead up to the tenth and final night.  Be sure to watch for any updates and catch all of the action on CBS Sports Network if you are able to.  For those that do not have that channel, there are other ways to watch as well including a week trial of Hulu Live that will allow you to watch all of the action as it happens inside of the legendary Thomas & Mack Arena.  This year’s event is one that you will not want to miss a second of as we march forward to crown our 2019 professional rodeo world champions a week from tonight!

Follow The Rodeo Roundup

It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup.  You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews.