West 12th After Round 1 of Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden

NEW YORK CITY – As the only Canadian to record a qualified ride Friday night, Lonnie West (Cadogan, Alberta) is twelfth after the first round of the season-launch PBR Unleash The Beast event – the Monster Energy Buckoff at The Garden, presented by Ariat.

Competing at a PBR event for the first time since lacerating his liver at the 2018 World Finals, West rode Lightning Before Thunder (Jenkins Cattle Co. / Emerson Cattle) for 83.25 points at his debut inside Madison Square Garden.

Neither of his countrymen Tanner Byrne (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) or Dakota Buttar (Kindersley, Saskatchewan), who also rode in the 15/5 Bucking Battle were able to make the 8.

Bringing the raucous crowd inside Madison Square Garden to its feet, Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil) recorded the first 90-point effort of the 2019 season Friday night to win the 15/15 Bucking Battle at the Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden, presented by Ariat.

Leme earned the top marks in the special round of competition, 91.25 points, aboard Cochise (Jane Clark/Gene Owen), earning $7000 and 150 world points. In the early 2019 world rankings, the Brazilian superstar is now No. 1, 65 points ahead of No. 2 Aaron Kleier (Clermont, Queensland, Australia).

The success comes after the 22-year-old concluded the 2018 season with great momentum. Going 4-for-6 at the 2018 World Finals, Leme finished his first full elite tour season No. 2 in the world.

Cody Teel (Kountze, Texas) and 2017 PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana) tied for second in the special round, each earning $4,500 and 82.5 world points for their matching 89-point rides. The duo covered Hedoo (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) and Udder Lover (Wallgren & Hale Bull Co./Randy Wood), respectively.

Fourth was Cody Nance (Paris, Tennessee) who rode Scarface (Paradigm Bull Company) for 88.75 points to collect a check for $3,000 and 60 world points.

Facing a familiar opponent, Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelândia, Goiás, Brazil) tamed Stuntman Ray (Broken Arrow Bucking Bulls) for 88.25 points to finish fifth.

The two athletes had previously squared off twice, with Aparecido riding him for 90.75 points at their most recent meeting in March 2018 in Glendale, Arizona.

His second qualified ride aboard the bovine athlete earned him $2,000 and 45 world points.

Prior to the 15/15 Bucking Battle, the event began with Round 1 of the season-launch PBR Unleash The Beast.

With judges awarding each rider an 88.25-point score, Lockwood and Cannon Cravens (Porum, Oklahoma) tied for the top spot in the first round to net 100 world points. In unique fashion each rider made the 8 aboard Bandit, with Lockwood’s bull hailing from Mike Miller Bucking Bulls and Cravens’ from Halpain & Roth.

Collectively, Lockwood earned 182.5 world points on the first night of the elite tour’s 2019 season and is now ranked No. 5 in the world, 162.5 points behind Leme.

Picking up right where he left off in 2018, Chase Outlaw (Hamburg, Arkansas) rode Striker (Halpain/Thompson) for 87.25 points to finish third and earn 60 world points.

In 2018, Outlaw was sidelined for the majority of the season due to reconstructive shoulder and facial surgery. Determined to ride, Outlaw made a triumphant return to competition in October, riding at the final four elite tour events of the season, including the World Finals. Going 10-for-15, capped with a third-place effort at the World Finals, Outlaw rose dozens of spots in the rankings to conclude the year No. 16 in the world.

The Top 5 was rounded out by Matt Triplett (Columbia Falls, Montana) and Claudio Montanha Jr. (Pacaembu, São Paulo, Brazil) who split fourth, each collecting 45 world points.

Recording matching 86.25-point rides, Triplett covered Bone Tomahawk (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) and Montanha rode Midnight Mystery (Halpain & Roth).

Round 2 from New York City will begin Saturday at 6:45 p.m. ET. Fans will be able to watch all the action from Friday night’s 15/15 Bucking Battle at Noon ET on CBS Sports, Saturday, Jan. 5. Round 2 will air on CBS Sports Network beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Action from Friday night will also be viewable Saturday starting at 8 a.m. ET on RidePass.com or via the RidePass mobile app.

25^th PBR: Unleash The Beast
15/15 Bucking Battle
Event Leaders (Round 1- Event Points)
1. Jose Vitor Leme, 91.25-91.25-150 Points.
2. Jess Lockwood, 89-89.00-82.5 Points.
(tie). Cody Teel, 89-89.00-82.5 Points.
4. Cody Nance, 88.75-88.75-60 Points.
5. Eduardo Aparecido, 88.25-88.25-45 Points.
Chase Outlaw, 0-0.00
Dakota Buttar, 0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0.00
Matt Triplett, 0-0.00
Marco Antônio Eguchi, 0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0.00
Ramon de Lima, 0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0.00
Cooper Davis, 0-0.00
Fabiano Vieira, 0-0.00

 

Professional Bull Riders – PBR Unleash The Beast

Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden presented by Ariat

Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York

Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Cannon Cravens, 88.25-0-0-0-88.25-100 Points.

(tie). Jess Lockwood, 88.25-0-0-0-88.25-100 Points.

3. Chase Outlaw, 87.25-0-0-0-87.25-60 Points.

4. Claudio Montanha Jr., 86.25-0-0-0-86.25-45 Points.

(tie). Matt Triplett, 86.25-0-0-0-86.25-45 Points.

6. Cody Teel, 86-0-0-0-86.00-15 Points.

(tie). Cody Nance, 86-0-0-0-86.00-15 Points.

8. Alisson De Souza, 85.5-0-0-0-85.50

9. Luciano De Castro, 85-0-0-0-85.00

10. Jose Vitor Leme, 83.75-0-0-0-83.75

11. Chase Robbins, 83.5-0-0-0-83.50

12. Lonnie West, 83.25-0-0-0-83.25

13. Brennon Eldred, 83-0-0-0-83.00

14. Emilio Resende, 82.5-0-0-0-82.50

15. Cody Jesus, 82.25-0-0-0-82.25

16. Ramon de Lima, 82-0-0-0-82.00

(tie). Stetson Lawrence, 82-0-0-0-82.00

18. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 79.25-0-0-0-79.25

19. Marco Antônio Eguchi, 72.25-0-0-0-72.25

Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Rubens Barbosa, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Dakota Buttar, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Nathan Burtenshaw, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Tanner Byrne, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Colten Jesse, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Francisco Morales, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Cooper Davis, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Fabiano Vieira, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Ryan Dirteater, 0-0-0-0-0.00

João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Alex Marcilio, 0-0-0-0-0.00

J.B. Mauney, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Koal Livingston, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Sean Willingham, 0-0-0-0-0.00