(Editor's note: PBR media release)
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – Debuting on the elite PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast in Okeechobee, Florida, rising star Colten Fritzlan (Rifle, Colorado) was a picture of perfection, going a flawless 3-for-3 to win the American Roots Edition’s PBR Coors Banquet Invitational at the Agri-Civic Center.
“You can’t put words to describe it,” Fritzlen said moments after his victory. “I’m happy to be here and looking forward to every weekend. I’m just having fun, staying loose and cool. We do this for our job. It’s about keeping things simple. I’m just glad it worked out.”
Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas), the 2016 PBR World Champion, also rode all three of his bulls on the weekend, and with a second place finish, vaulted to world No. 1.
Fritzlan got off to a hot start in Round 1 on Saturday afternoon, reaching the requisite 8 aboard Express Lane (Rickey West Bucking Bulls), his first premier series draw, to earn an 86.5-point score.
The Colorado-native, 20, then punched his ticket to the championship round of the Sunshine State event when he rode Two Socks (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve) for 86.75 points.
Undeterred by the bright lights of the top tour in professional bull riding, Fritzlan, the penultimate man to leave the chutes, completed his flawless effort with an 87-point score aboard Zero Time (Paradigm Bull Company).
While Fritzlan’s score propelled him to the top of the leaderboard, Davis had yet to attempt his final round selection.
Davis entered the final round No. 1 in the event aggregate after covering Stretch (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls) for 87.5 points in Round 1 and Sun Country (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/WSM Auctioneers) for 86 points in Round 2.
With the first pick in the championship round bull draft, Davis quickly chose Speed Demon (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls), who he had covered five times in six previous attempts, marked in excess of 90 points in four of his qualified rides.
After matching Speed Demon jump-for-jump in Okeechobee, Davis was desperately hanging off the left side of the bull for the last two seconds of the out, which was put under review to determine if he had reached the 8-second whistle.
While Davis was awarded a qualified ride, his efforts didn’t prove enough; he needed an 86.75-point score or higher and was only marked 84.75 points due to lacking control in the ride’s final seconds, leading to a second-place finish.
Fritzlan is the tenth rider in league history to win his debut Unleash The Beast event.
He follows in the footsteps of three-time PBR World Champion Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil), reigning PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil), Australian sensation Lachlan Richardson (Gresford, New South Wales, Australia) and surging sophomore rider Cole Melancon (Paris, Texas).
Fritzlan’s victory netted him 125 world points and a check for $23,996.73. He is now ranked No. 5 in the world, 114 points behind No. 1 Davis.
Davis’ runner-up effort propelled him to the top of the world rankings for the first time in 2021, garnering him 95 world points and $15,713.87.
The stoic Texan also collected an additional 46.5 world points Saturday night by finishing second in the 15/15 Bucking Battle. He tied for the silver finish courtesy of his 91.25-point trip on the current No. 1-ranked bull Ridin Solo (Cord McCoy/Bill McCarty) in the special round.
Attempting to become the seventh multi-time PBR World Champion in 2021, Davis now leads No. 2 Junior Patrik Souza (Sonora, Brazil) by 71 points.
Souza finished 18th in the main event to earn nine world points, while also recording a fifth-place result in his debut 15/15 Bucking Battle Saturday afternoon to earn an additional 28 world points.
Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington) finished third in the PBR Coors Banquet Invitational, collecting 80 world points and $14,414.20.
Rebounding from a 4.61-second buckoff atop Kickstart My Heart (Cord McCoy/Ortega/Cryogen) in Round 1, Kolbaba was in near picture-perfect form on Sunday afternoon. He snapped his three-out buckoff streak in Round 2, going the distance on Shark Bait (Rickey West Bucking Bulls/2R Bucking Bulls) for an 87.25-point score.
Kolbaba then delivered his first 90-point ride of the 2021 season in the championship round when he covered Diddy Wa Diddy (Cord McCoy/Bill McCarty) for a monstrous 90.75 points.
The Washington-native surged more than 30 positions in the world rankings, catapulted from No. 40 to No. 8, inching within 170.5 points of the top position.
Fourth was Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi, Brazil).
The tenacious Brazilian’s Top-5 finish was backed by an 85-point score on Ugly Wish (Vickers Buckers) in Round 1 and an 87.25-point effort aboard Buckin’ For Cash (Paradigm Bull Company) in Round 2.
Cerqueira earned 48 world points and rose from No. 22 to No. 11 in the world rankings.
Tying for fifth was Cole Melancon (Paris, Texas) and Taylor Toves (Stephenville, Texas), each earning 42.5 world points.
Melancon’s result was headlined by his league-leading third round win of the year, topping Round 1 with an 88.5-point ride on Soup in a Group (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Wilks Ranch).
Toves’ finish was also backed by a round win, victorious in Round 2 courtesy of an 88.5-point trip on Ponotoc (Hart Cattle Company).
Melancon is now ranked No. 6 in the world, 115 points behind No. 1 Davis, while Toves is No. 18 and 212 points back of the No. 1 position.
Following Round 1 on Saturday afternoon, the Okeechobee American Roots Edition tour stop also featured the first 15/15 Bucking Battle of 2021, as four riders delivered massive 90-point scores.
Marco Eguchi (Poa, Brazil) dominated the special round, marked a season-high 94 points on two-time and reigning YETI PBR World Champion Bull Smooth Operator (Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen/Clay Struve). The score was the first time the 2018 PBR World Finals event winner had covered the bull in their now three meetings on record, and earned the charismatic Brazilian 59 world points.
Eguchi, who also finished 13th in the main event to earn an additional 12 world points, is now ranked No. 7 in the world, 133 points behind No. 1 Davis.
Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) tied with Davis for second in the 15/15 Bucking Battle, recording his 91.25-point score on Homegrown (Cord McCoy/Chad Reese). He earned 46.5 world points, and retained his world No. 3 rank. The 2018 PBR World Champion is now 74 points behind the top ranking.
Fourth was Dener Barbosa (Paulo de Faria, Brazil) who rode I’m Legit Too (Hart Cattle Co./Hale/Bloyd) for 90.5 points to earn 39 world points.
In the bull pen, Smooth Operator and Diddy Wa Diddy tied for the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event honor, both recording head-turning 46-point scores in the 15/15 Bucking Battle.
While Smooth Operator teamed with Eguchi for his 94-point score, Diddy Wa Diddy earned the impressive marks when he dispatched Marcelo Procopio Pereira (Rinopolis, Brazil) in a swift 2.25 seconds.
Fans can relive all the action from PBR Unleash The Beast: American Roots Edition’s Coors Banquet Invitational on Monday, February 1 at 8:00 a.m. ET on RidePass, available on RidePass.com or via the mobile app.
Following a one-week break, the PBR Unleash the Beast: American Roots Edition next travels to Del Rio, Texas, and the Val Verde County Fairgrounds for the PBR Del Rio Invitational. The event will be on Saturday, February 13 and Sunday, February 14 at 2:00 p.m. CT.
PBR Unleash The Beast: American Roots EditionPBR Coors Banquet Invitational
Agri-Civic Center – Okeechobee, Florida
(Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Colten Fritzlan, 86.5-86.75-87-260.25-125 Points.
2. Cooper Davis, 87.5-86-84.75-258.25-95 Points.
3. Derek Kolbaba, 0-87.25-90.75-178.00-80 Points.
4. Alex Cerqueira, 85-87.25-0-172.25-48 Points.
5. Cole Melancon, 88.5-0-0-88.50-42.5 Points.
(tie). Taylor Toves, 0-88.5-0-88.50-42.5 Points.
7. Eduardo Aparecido, 0-88.25-0-88.25-24 Points.
8. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 87.75-0-0-87.75-22.5 Points.
(tie). Silvano Alves, 0-87.75-0-87.75-21.5 Points.
10. Brennon Eldred, 87.25-0-0-87.25-17.5 Points.
(tie). Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-87.25-0-87.25-16.5 Points.
12. João Henrique Lucas, 87-0-0-87.00-15 Points.
13. Marco Eguchi, 0-86.5-0-86.50-12 Points.
14. João Ricardo Vieira, 85.75-0-0-85.75-13 Points.
15. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 0-85.5-0-85.50-10 Points.
16. Ezekiel Mitchell, 83.75-0-0-83.75-11 Points.
17. Dalton Kasel, 0-83-0-83.00-9 Points.
18. Junior Patrik Souza, 78.5-0-0-78.50-9 Points.
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
J.T. Moore, 0-0-0-0.00
Dener Barbosa, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Casper, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Nance, 0-0-0-0.00
J.B. Mauney, 0-0-0-0.00
Tye Chandler, 0-0-0-0.00
PBR Unleash The Beast: American Roots EditionPBR Coors Banquet Invitational – 15/15 Bucking Battle
Agri-Civic Center – Okeechobee, Florida
(Round 1-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Marco Eguchi, 94-94.00-59 Points.
2. Kaique Pacheco, 91.25-91.25-46.5 Points.
(tie). Cooper Davis, 91.25-91.25-46.5 Points.
4. Dener Barbosa, 90.5-90.50-39 Points.
5. Junior Patrik Souza, 89.5-89.50-28 Points.
6. João Ricardo Vieira, 89-89.00-26 Points.
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0.00
Cole Melancon, 0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0.00
Brennon Eldred, 0-0.00
Dalton Kasel, 0-0.00
J.T. Moore, 0-0.00
Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0.00
2021 PBR World Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5's, Points, Total Winnings)
1. Cooper Davis, 4, 0, 3, 267.50, $32,349.84
2. Junior Patrik Souza, 8, 0, 4, 196.50, $21,499.81
3. Kaique Pacheco, 4, 1, 2, 193.50, $34,600.72
4. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 8, 1, 3, 162.00, $30,415.52
5. Colten Fritzlan, 2, 1, 2, 153.50, $28,829.35
6. Cole Melancon, 4, 0, 2, 152.50, $17,641.72
7. Marco Eguchi, 4, 1, 2, 134.50, $16,797.23
8. Derek Kolbaba, 5, 0, 1, 97.00, $18,864.15
9. Silvano Alves, 4, 0, 1, 91.50, $8,183.87
10. Dener Barbosa, 7, 0, 1, 87.83, $11,283.23
11. Alex Cerqueira, 4, 0, 1, 85.00, $13,793.31
12. Cody Teel, 5, 0, 2, 83.50, $16,076.79
13. João Ricardo Vieira, 5, 0, 1, 74.00, $4,400.00
14. Brennon Eldred, 5, 0, 1, 70.50, $11,058.93
15. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 5, 0, 2, 70.00, $9,983.33
16. Brady Fielder, 3, 1, 2, 69.00, $6,529.40
17. Dalton Kasel, 6, 0, 1, 68.50, $10,722.85
18. Taylor Toves, 4, 0, 1, 55.50, $8,591.72
19. Eduardo Aparecido, 4, 0, 0, 55.00, $7,584.15
20. Kyle Jones, 4, 0, 1, 50.50, $7,492.39
21. J.T. Moore, 6, 1, 3, 49.00, $8,789.02
22. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 7, 1, 2, 47.00, $7,657.05
23. Kurt Shephard, 3, 0, 2, 44.33, $4,028.40
24. Aaron Kleier, 3, 1, 2, 42.00, $14,105.40
25. Kyler Oliver, 2, 0, 0, 35.00, $3,650.00
26. Claudio Montanha Jr., 6, 0, 0, 33.50, $4,734.94
27. Ezekiel Mitchell, 5, 1, 1, 26.00, $3,900.00
27. Bailey Woodard, 3, 1, 1, 26.00, $2,285.40
29. Dakota Louis, 5, 0, 1, 24.50, $3,617.07
30. Lachlan Richardson, 3, 0, 1, 20.00, $1,775.00
31. Cody Casper, 5, 0, 1, 18.00, $2,860.13
32. Lawson Nobbs, 3, 0, 1, 16.00, $1,175.00
33. Mason Taylor, 4, 1, 1, 15.00, $5,212.30
33. João Henrique Lucas, 4, 0, 0, 15.00, $3,449.95
33. Rodrigo Melgar, 4, 1, 1, 15.00, $3,480.75
33. Aaron Pass, 1, 1, 1, 15.00, $3,432.49
37. Leonardo Lima, 5, 0, 0, 13.83, $1,821.28
38. Paulo Ferreira Lima, 3, 0, 1, 12.33, $2,136.88
39. Thor Hoefer II, 5, 0, 1, 10.50, $2,090.85
40. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 4, 0, 0, 10.00, $1,400.00
41. Lucas Divino, 4, 0, 1, 9.50, $10,400.00
41. Seth White, 2, 0, 1, 9.50, $1,696.35
43. Valdiron de Oliveira, 2, 0, 1, 9.33, $2,477.41
43. Jackson Gray, 3, 0, 2, 9.33, $1,067.80
45. Brendan Buckholz, 3, 0, 1, 8.33, $828.40
