(PBR release)
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Mason Taylor (Maypearl, Texas) rode his way to his first PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast Tour after being the only cowboy to go 4-for-4 over the long weekend at the First PREMIER Bank PREMIER Bankcard Invitational at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls.
The 19-year-old PBR Rookie of the Year contender had the crowd on its feet as he made the 8 aboard M.A.G.A. (TNT Bucking Bulls/Hart Cattle Co) in the championship round giving him the walk-off win after the 89.25-point ride. Earlier in the afternoon, the Texan rode Picking Up Pennies (Little Acres Ranch) in Round 3 for 87.75 points solidifying his spot on the leaderboard.
For his efforts, Taylor earned $37,710 and 652.5 world points, rocketing him from No. 40 in the world standings to No. 8. Taylor’s win moved him into second place in the PBR Rookie of the Year race and within striking distance of leader Cody Jesus (Window Rock, Arizona). Taylor is now a mere 101.3 points behind Jesus.
2017 PBR Rookie of the Year Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) took home second place for the weekend after two very impressive 90-point rides over the three-day event. On Sunday afternoon, the Brazilian covered Losing Control (Johnson Bucking Bulls/Hofer Ag/Kari Carrillo/Little Acres Ranch) in Round 3 for 89.25 points. Leme then electrified the crowd as he road Cochise (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) for an incredible 92 points, the highest marked ride of the year on the PBR Unleash The Beast Tour. Leme took home $24,760 and 540 world points to move into first place in the world standings.
Third place went to Luciano de Castro (Guzolandia, Sao Paulo, Brazil). The Brazilian scored 88 points atop Gambini (Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen/Clay Struve/Chad Berger) in Round 3. In the championship round, Castro rode Bottoms Up (TNT Bucking Bulls/Hart Cattle Co) for 87.25 points. He collected $12,675 and 305 world points. Castro now sits at No. 5 in the world standings.
A day prior, in Saturday’s 15/15 round, Castro was tossed to the dirt at 7.18 seconds by Smooth Wreck (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Diamond Willow). The bovine athlete was awarded the title of Yeti “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event for his monster 46.5-point out.
Native American rider Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, Oklahoma) came in fourth place for the weekend after riding Wacker Kat (JD Nix Rodeo Co) for 76.75 points. Dirteater couldn’t hold on to legendary three-time world champion SweetPro’s Bruiser (D&H Cattle Company/Bucking Cattle Co) in the championship round. For his efforts, The Cherokee Kid took home $7,110 and 147.5 world points to hold on to the No. 6 spot in the world standings.
Rounding out the Top-5 for the event was Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Springs, Utah). Despite the 2018 PBR Rookie of the Year coming down early in both rounds on Sunday, his performance in the first two rounds of competition helped him remain among those atop of the event leaderboard. Whitehorse came up just shy of the eight second buzzer on Thunder’s Cartel (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls) in Round 3 and Short Pop (Wallgren & Hale Bucking Bull Co/ABC) dispatched of the Utah native in 3.98 seconds in the championship round. Whitehorse took home $7,500 and 130 world points, moving him from No. 37 to No. 29.
Replays from Round 3 and the Championship Round will be available starting at 8 a.m. ET on Monday, April 8 on Ridepass.com or via the Ridepass mobile app.
The Top 35 bull riders in the world will now head to Billings, Montana, for the Billings Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, at Rimrock Auto Arena at Metra Park April 12-14.
In other news over the weekend, PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) Koal Livingston (Burleson, Texas) stood atop the center stage after winning the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s Bakersfield Buck Off at Rabobank Arena.
Following an 83.5-point ride aboard Mr. In Between (Crown 7 Bucking Bulls) in Round 1, the Texas cowboy rocketed from the chutes aboard Smoke Show (Humpz and Hornz/Sis ‘N’ Stan/KMH) in the final round of the night but was no match for the powerful animal athlete.
Despite the buckoff, the win earned Livingston 220 world points and a $6,475 paycheck.
Every winner of a Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event has an opportunity to compete at an Unleash The Beast series event. With the victory in Bakersfield, Livingston will compete in Cheyenne, Wyoming, at the third PBR Major of the season, Last Cowboy Standing at Cheyenne Frontier Days on July 22-23. The win also earned him a spot at the Komatsu Equipment Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo, presented by Zions Bank, on July 19-24 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Professional Bull Riders – FIRST PREMIER BANK PREMIER BANKCARD INVITATIONAL
Sioux Falls, SD, 2019 – Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Mason Taylor, 86.25-85-87.75-89.25-348.25-652.5 Points.
2. Jose Vitor Leme, 0-90.25-89.25-92-271.50-540 Points.
3. Luciano De Castro, 85-0-88-87.25-260.25-305 Points.
4. Ryan Dirteater, 82.75-87-76.75-0-246.50-147.5 Points.
5. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 87.5-86.5-0-0-174.00-135 Points.
6. Taylor Toves, 0-85.25-0-89-174.25-130 Points.
7. Danilo Carlos Sobrinho, 0-0-88.25-84.75-173.00-110 Points.
8. Cooper Davis, 88-0-0-0-88.00-105 Points.
9. Scottie Knapp, 84.25-88-0-0-172.25-85 Points.
10. Cody Teel, 0-88-0-0-88.00-60 Points.
11. Matt Triplett, 85-0-0-0-85.00-37.5 Points.
12. Stetson Lawrence, 0-0-87.5-0-87.50-35 Points.
13. Marcus Mast, 0-0-86.75-0-86.75-20 Points.
14. Chase Outlaw, 78.25-0-86.5-0-164.75-15 Points.
(tie). Dakota Buttar, 82.75-85-0-0-167.75-15 Points.
16. Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-85-0-85.00-2.5 Points.
17. Joe Frost, 0-0-84.75-0-84.75
18. Dylan Smith, 0-0-83.5-0-83.50
Joao Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cannon Cravens, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Rubens Barbosa, 0-0-0-0-0.00
J.B. Mauney, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Alisson De Souza, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Colten Jesse, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marco AntÙnio Eguchi, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Daniel Tinsman, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Junio Quaresima, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ruger Piva, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Tanner Byrne, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0-0.00
