(PBR release)
DULUTH, Georgia – As PBR (Professional Bull Riders) brought fans a closed for-TV-only event this weekend in light of global health concerns, Brazilian Dener Barbosa (Paulo de Faria, Brazil) was able to ride his way to a $35,000 victory payday with a perfect 3-for-3 performance.
As a result of decisions made by local authorities, the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, Georgia, set to host the PBR’s 2020 Gwinnett Invitational, was not open to public gathering this weekend. With no fans in the building, a skeleton crew producing the event, and necessary safety precautions taken for health and safety of the participants and crew, PBR brought the Unleash The Beast series Gwinnett Invitational to fans live on CBS Sports Network and RidePass, the Western sports digital network.
In what was called “the rankest practice pen of all time” in a virtually empty Infinite Energy Center, Barbosa rose above the rest on Sunday after finishing ninth in Round 1 on Saturday night.
With 84.25 points courtesy of Here To Party (Stockyards/Pritchett Ranch/Melton Bull Co.) carrying over from Saturday, Barbosa bested multiple-time PBR World Finals bucker Lester Gillis (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) for 85.75 points in Round 2 on championship Sunday. After that ride, Barbosa had to head to PBR Sports Medicine for seven stiches in his free hand.
“I just tried to suck it up and be tough,” Barbosa said about the injury. “It doesn’t bother me much – it’s my free hand. Two years ago, I broke my foot here. That time wasn’t my moment, but God gave me this gift today.”
Barbosa, the event leader heading into the championship round, was tasked with making it to the 8-second whistle aboard Bullseye (Owens/Wyatt/Smith/Mears). He put on a classic clinic, sitting in the middle of the bull, neither getting behind nor ahead of the bovine athlete’s furious bucking, and he was marked 91 points, securing the victory.
As the only rider to go a perfect 3-for-3, Barbosa earned $35,000 and 99 world points, elevating him from No. 10 to No. 6 in the PBR world standings.
Round 1 winner Mauricio Gula Moreira (Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil) only slipped one spot during Sunday’s final rounds, ending up in second place.
After besting Freakin Wicked (Davis Rodeo Ranch/Fogle) for 87.75 points in Round 1, Moreira matched up in Round 2 with Slingin Tears (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson/Caveman Bucking Bulls), where he was slung to the dirt after 6.91 seconds.
A championship round qualified ride aboard Big Black (K-C Bucking Bulls/Joe & Nina Webb) was marked 91.25 points for the young Brazilian, earning him the round win.
The second-place finish earned Moreira $21,580 and 90 world points on the weekend. The 20-year-old is now No. 17 in the world.
The top-finishing American, Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) rounded out the Top 3. After hitting the dirt early in Round 1 on Buffalo Scott (Blake Sharp), Swearingen came storming back on Sunday.
Going 2-for-2 on the day, Swearingen had the last laugh aboard Joker (Rickey West Bucking Bulls) as he made the 8 and was marked 86.5 points. Picking Lil 2 Train (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) as his championship round mount, the New Yorker rode his way to 89 points.
Along with 53.5 world points, Swearingen earned $12,850 and narrowed the gap with World No. 3 Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil). Swearingen is now just 100.09 points out of third place.
Texan Tye Chandler (Celina, Texas) continued his hot 2020 first half with another Top-5 finish, ending the weekend in fourth.
Two Socks (Owens/Wyatt/Smith) proved too much for the 25-year-old in Round 1, as Chandler was tossed in 2.05 seconds.
Round 2 was the big payday for Chandler, delivering a round win with an 88.5-point trip aboard Skeeter Peter (Owens/Wyatt/Smith).
Earning a bid into the championship round, Chandler was tasked with Old Fort Days (K-C Bucking Bulls/Spark-lin Acres), but wasn’t up to the test, and was down in 3.95 seconds.
Chandler earned $8,980 for his fourth-place finish and 32 world points, moving him two spots to No. 22 in the world.
Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Springs, Utah), 2018 PBR Rookie of the Year, returned to the Top 5 for the first time in 2020 with his 2-for-3 performance in Duluth.
Whitehorse was perfect in Rounds 1 and 2, going 82.75 points on Sunny (Northcott Macza Pro Rodeo) and 86.5 points on Hammered Down (Davis Rodeo Ranch/D&H Cattle) respectively.
After selecting Rebel Call (Torres Brothers Bucking Bulls LLC) for the championship round, Whitehorse was spun off in 3.95 seconds.
Whitehorse made a big jump in the rankings by earning 29.5 world points. The Navajo cowboy is now No. 56 in the world and also earned $5,500.
For the third time in the young 2020 season, Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas) was aboard the YETI Built for the Wild Bull of the Event. His trip aboard Godzilla (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson/High Voltage Cattle) was marked 46.25-points for the bovine athlete, while Mitchell was off in 2.52 seconds. The charismatic cowboy finished seventh overall.
Fans can experience every moment from the groundbreaking 2020 Gwinnett Invitational at Infinite Energy Center on Monday, March 16 at 8 a.m. ET via RidePass.com or the RidePass mobile app.
The PBR Unleash The Beast tour next travels to world headquarters in Pueblo, Colorado, to produce multiple, closed-house, for-TV UTB events amid global health concerns. PBR will continue to take caution and monitor the global health crisis when deciding on a future event schedule.
PBR Unleash The Beast
Gwinnett Invitational
Infinite Energy Center – Duluth, Georgia
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Dener Barbosa, 84.25-85.75-91-261.00-99 Points.
2. Mauricio Gula Moreira, 87.75-0-91.25-179.00-90 Points.
3. Daylon Swearingen, 0-86.5-89-175.50-53.5 Points.
4. Tye Chandler, 0-88.5-0-88.50-32 Points.
5. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 82.75-86.5-0-169.25-29.5 Points.
6. Claudio Montanha Jr., 84.5-84.75-0-169.25-27.5 Points.
7. Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-86.75-0-86.75-15 Points.
8. Fabiano Vieira, 86.75-0-0-86.75-14.5 Points.
(tie). Silvano Alves, 86.75-0-0-86.75-14.5 Points.
10. Aaron Kleier, 86.25-0-0-86.25-9.5 Points.
11. Derek Kolbaba, 0-86.25-0-86.25-8.5 Points.
12. Cole Melancon, 86-0-0-86.00-7 Points.
13. Cody Casper, 85.5-0-0-85.50-6 Points.
14. Jake Lockwood, 0-85.5-0-85.50-5 Points.
15. Alex Cerqueira, 84.5-0-0-84.50-4.5 Points.
16. Michael Lane, 0-84.5-0-84.50-3 Points.
17. Stetson Lawrence, 80.75-0-0-80.75-1 Points.
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0.00
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0.00
Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Colten Jesse, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0.00
Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00
Joao Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0.00
Brennon Eldred, 0-0-0-0.00
Bruno Scaranello, 0-0-0-0.00
Amadeu Campos Silva, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00
Taylor Toves, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0.00
Brady Sims, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0.00
2020 Professional Bull Riders World Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5's, Points, Total Winnings)
1. Jose Vitor Leme, 16, 5, 9, 616.00, $238,494.30
2. Jess Lockwood, 14, 1, 9, 543.50, $210,144.99
3. João Ricardo Vieira, 16, 2, 6, 522.25, $184,677.14
4. Daylon Swearingen, 17, 3, 6, 422.16, $191,885.64
5. Kaique Pacheco, 17, 0, 5, 344.50, $81,704.93
6. Dener Barbosa, 15, 2, 7, 323.41, $81,057.49
7. Cole Melancon, 14, 2, 4, 274.00, $202,917.76
8. Eduardo Aparecido, 17, 0, 3, 243.50, $61,376.52
9. Ramon de Lima, 13, 1, 2, 241.16, $83,662.79
10. Colten Jesse, 16, 1, 3, 235.50, $58,588.93
11. Lucas Divino, 9, 1, 2, 199.00, $58,017.86
12. Claudio Montanha Jr., 15, 0, 3, 185.00, $46,522.84
13. Matt Triplett, 14, 1, 3, 173.00, $96,847.68
14. Fabiano Vieira, 13, 2, 3, 154.50, $31,037.31
15. Aaron Kleier, 19, 1, 6, 146.83, $38,682.12
16. Marco Eguchi, 9, 0, 4, 140.25, $33,926.97
17. Mauricio Gula Moreira, 8, 0, 4, 139.33, $30,526.61
18. Derek Kolbaba, 16, 0, 3, 138.50, $20,332.08
19. Mason Taylor, 13, 1, 2, 127.75, $25,785.00
20. Dakota Buttar, 10, 3, 6, 121.00, $32,762.20
21. Ryan Dirteater, 6, 0, 2, 120.00, $51,461.41
22. Tye Chandler, 7, 1, 3, 112.83, $26,056.67
23. Ezekiel Mitchell, 13, 0, 2, 112.00, $29,488.97
24. Lachlan Richardson, 7, 2, 3, 104.00, $45,405.11
25. Andrew Alvidrez, 12, 0, 4, 96.50, $25,169.35
26. Joao Henrique Lucas, 11, 1, 2, 81.41, $18,116.23
27. Brennon Eldred, 6, 0, 0, 78.00, $17,755.00
28. Bruno Scaranello, 8, 1, 2, 76.99, $14,616.67
29. Bradley Brittain, 11, 1, 2, 75.00, $13,270.00
30. Cooper Davis, 2, 0, 1, 74.00, $14,350.00
31. Brock Radford, 18, 1, 7, 73.16, $26,744.76
32. Amadeu Campos Silva, 10, 0, 2, 72.16, $10,378.08
33. Cody Campbell, 12, 1, 2, 72.00, $13,530.00
34. Nathan Burtenshaw, 9, 1, 3, 67.16, $25,906.16
35. Stetson Lawrence, 12, 1, 1, 64.50, $24,590.83
35. Taylor Toves, 13, 1, 1, 64.50, $29,887.46
37. Marcus Mast, 14, 0, 4, 64.16, $22,185.91
38. Jake Lockwood, 13, 1, 1, 62.66, $14,326.89
39. Alan de Souza, 5, 1, 1, 60.00, $30,721.15
39. Aaron Roy, 8, 1, 4, 60.00, $11,142.06
41. Brady Sims, 15, 2, 3, 58.00, $13,884.13
42. Troy Wilkinson, 7, 1, 3, 57.00, $28,330.45
43. Alex Cerqueira, 10, 1, 2, 55.50, $12,209.05
44. Cody Casper, 18, 1, 3, 55.00, $11,018.93
45. Dakota Louis, 18, 0, 5, 48.00, $22,822.83
