So we went from 35 of the best PBR Cowboys in the business with 15 VIP invitee’s (hot new riders who are coming up fast) and some of the best bulls to match on Friday… down to 25 riders on Saturday and some even more rank bulls to see who would be The Last Cowboy Standing.. In short, it would be a night that kept the Bull Fighters very busy.
It quickly went from 25 riders to 8 riders. Then down to 2. Stetson Lawrence and Ricardo Vieira. The same way it ended for the Iron Cowboy Event. Both riders failed to cover their bulls for the final 2 rounds and it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The bulls were just getting itchy to get it done and go home!
Per PBR Rules, with neither rider covering their bulls, the winner was chosen based on points for the night. Ricardo Vieira’s higher combined round points after five rounds of competition gave him the win, a check for $180,000 plus 877.5 points. Stetson Lawrence takes a second place win and 525 world points.
From The PBR
After a full five rounds of competition, No. 1 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) bull rider in the world Joao Ricardo Vieira won Last Cowboy Standing, brought to you locally by Sonic, part of the elite Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS), on Saturday night at MGM Resorts Village.
Last Cowboy Standing is the second PBR Major of the season, which includes 1.5 times more PBR world points than at a regular BFTS event and an increase in prize money.
Vieira posted the top ride of the event with 90.75 points atop Percolator (Jeff Robinson Bucking Bulls) during Round 3. Stetson Lawrence, who finished second in the event, also covered his bull in Round 3, putting up 86.5 points on I’m Gangster Too (Jeff Robinson/TNT Bucking Bulls). As such, the men then advanced to Round 4, but were unsuccessful in their attempts to make the 8-second mark. Seeing as neither rider made a qualified ride, Vieira and Lawrence advanced to the final round per Last Cowboy Standing rules.
Neither Vieira nor Lawrence were able to cover their bulls in Round 5 either, and per event rules, Vieira’s higher combined round points after five rounds of competition earned him the win. Vieira received a check for $180,000, including the $100,000 Bad Boy Mowers Bonus. It was the second such check he has accepted this year of this amount, having won the Iron Cowboy of the same format in Arlington, Texas, earlier this season.
This adds 877.5 points to Vieira’s world standing’s total, extending his lead to 1,002.5 points.
Lawrence gave Vieira a run for his money, going 3-for-5 on the night as well, for a second-place finish and 525 world points. Vieira placing first and Lawrence taking second are the same results seen during the first PBR Major, Iron Cowboy.
With a bull score of 46.5 out of 50 points, Little Red Jacket (J.A.R.S. Bucking Bulls/Gene Owen) was named the Salem NationaLease High-marked Bull in Las Vegas as he bucked off J.B. Mauney in 2.94 seconds during Round 3.
The final rounds of Last Cowboy Standing will air during a two-hour broadcast on CBS Television Network on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
For more information and behind-the-scenes details about Last Cowboy Standing, read Behind the Chutes by Justin Felisko on www.pbr.com.
Last Cowboy Standing is the last stop of the first half of the 2015 PBR Built Ford Tough Series.
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Photos: Debbie D Anthony Photography
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