As round one came to a close just a short 24 hours ago some major story lines were beginning to develop that would play out once the lights were dimmed on the arena floor inside of the Talking Stick Resort Arena. There were a few riders that were on the bubble and in danger of being cut from the exclusive Built Ford Tough Series tour. The anxiety and energy was raging as the second and final day became the center of attention earlier today. Those contestants, as well as the fans, could feel the tension in the air as the action began down on the arena floor.
After a slow start to round one things began to pick up as the round drew further and further into the field of top tier contestants. After the first two riders gained scores it was a dry spout that began turning the page later in the round. After the first round was complete it was 13 of the top 35 bull riders in the world that would managed to gain the upper hand and earn a qualified ride heading into today’s round two and Championship Rounds. Who would be the event champion and which riders on the bubble would step up to secure their spot on the Built Ford Tough Series tour would be the questions that needed to be answered.
Ryan Dirteater Heads To Championship Round In The Lead
Photo Credit: PBRLive.com
Once the action began it was total non-stop gut wrenching action that gave the fans in attendance all that their bodies could handle. After a round where there were many ups and downs it was the cowboys that wanted to come out this afternoon a prove a point to the on-air personalities, the PBR Fans, the PBR stock contractors and everyone else who had doubts about their performance. That is what these came out to do and all the speculations and questions were answered as the field was set for the Championship Round that would play out later in the day.
It would be hard to follow the exciting round one that was completed just a day ago but today’s round two had to be one that would come very close and kept the fans on the edge of their seats. After it was all said and done it was 10 of the top 35 bull riders in the world that would manage to earn a score and have a chance on advancing to the Championship Round. Even though the rides were fantastic today nobody would have what it would take to overcome the 87 point ride that Rubens Barbosa put up on the board after covering Rocking I Rodeo Company ‘s Like A Boss to advance.
Complete Round Two Qualified Rides Recap:
Rubens Barbosa (87.00) Stetson Lawrence (86.00)
Ryan Dirteater (86.00) Cody Nance (85.75)
Aaron Roy (83.50) Cooper Davis (82.75)
Mason Low (82.25) Justin Paton (80.75)
Nevada Newman (80.50) Fabiano Vieira (71.00)
Ben Jones Wins Championship Round And The Points That Come With It
Photo Credit: PBRLive.com
Championship Sunday was one that the fans inside the arena in Phoenix, Arizona will remember for quite some time. Fan favorites secured their spots on the Built Ford Tough Series while some young guns made huge impressions as well. Once the top 15 bull riders from the first two rounds competed in the Championship Round it was only one who would be able to stake claim to the round win and the important championship points that come along with it.
Only 15 of the top 35 bull riders in the world advanced to the championship round earlier today inside of the Talking Stick Resort Arena. In the first time in quite a while most contestants would need two qualified rides to advance which made these guys step up to even a higher level to gain the win. Once the round concluded it would be 3 riders that would be able to make the buzzer but no one could top the performance that Ben Jones put on while winning the round with an 90.75 point ride aboard Cowboy Dance Hall’s Panda Trax!
Complete Championship Round Qualified Rides Recap:
Ben Jones (90.75) Ryan Dirteater (87.25)
Fabiano Vieira (64.25)
Ryan Dirteater Wins The Ak-Chin Invitational In Phoenix, Arizona
Photo Credit: PBRLive.com
Once the 80+ bull rides were all completed over the two day event here in Arizona it was only one man that would stand above the rest as the event champion. That being said that was not the main focus as some of the most and well respected bull riders on tour had to have a monster weekend to be able to stay on the elite BFTS tour and not be dropped down to the touring pro division. After fighting tooth and nail fans were very happy to see that their favorite riders would in fact be on tour for at least another seven tour stops!
Along with all of the excitement in and around the arena there was still the crown of event champion that was to be awarded as well. After putting together a fantastic weekend it was the Cherokee Kid himself, Ryan Dirteater, who would outlast the other 34 contestants to be named event champion and gain the much needed championship points that would come along with the huge payday that he would take into next weekend’s event in Duluth, Georgia!
Keep up with all of the excitement and story lines that arise as the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series heads to the great state of Georgia for next week’s event, the Duluth Invitational. The Rodeo Round Up will be covering the entire event and will strive to get out any breaking news and/or injury reports as they happen. Along with all of that we will once again give you round by round recaps as the action gets hot and heavy live from Duluth, Georgia!
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 and/or Twitter at @therodeoroundup. 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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