(PBR release)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Riding at just the fourth PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast event of his career, Alan de Souza (Taubate, Brazil) captured his first ever premier series event win in Minneapolis, Minnesota, inside Target Center, victorious at the Minneapolis Invitational.
As the only rider to go 3-for-3, Souza began his perfect performance with an 85.75-point ride aboard American Gangster (C Check Bucking Bulls) in Round 1. Tied for seventh following the opening night of competition, the 26-year-old climbed the event leaderboard to fourth after covering Twist of Barbwire (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) for 85 points in Round 2.
Making his third appearance in the championship round, Souza’s determination to win was evident in his selection of 2018 PBR Word Finals Co-Bull of the Event Legit (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Julie Rosen/Clay Struve/Leffew).
Bringing the raucous crowd inside Target Center to its feet, Souza became just the fourth rider across all levels of competition to cover the bovine athlete, scoring a massive 88.5 points.
Souza left the first PBR event in Minneapolis since 2006 with a check for $33,695 in addition to a crucial 460 world points.
Ranked No. 42 in the world prior to the event, Souza is now firmly inside the Top 35 as he looks to qualify for the first PBR World Finals of his career, sitting No. 24 and 308.34 points in front of the cutline.
2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) finished second, earning $20,350 and 400 world points. On Friday, Davis earned an additional $2,000 and 45 world points after concluding the 15/15 Bucking Battle fifth.
After bucking off his Round 1 draw Firebeatz (Foley Bucking Bulls) in an ever-close 7.73 seconds, the Texan rebounded in a major way in Round 2, recording the second-best score, an 88.25-point ride on Slinger Jr. (K-C Bucking Bulls/Spark-lin Acres).
In the championship round, Davis opted for a familiar foe in Speed Demon (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls). Having faced each other three times prior, Davis had covered the bull in their two most recent meetings, first marked 90.5 points this January in Chicago, followed by an 88.5-point trip which propelled Davis to his lone Unleash The Beast event win of 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Once again making the whistle, Davis recorded the third 90-point ride of his 2019 premier series season, winning the championship round with a massive 90.75-point score.
Davis remains No. 5 in the world with just two regular-season Unleash The Beast events remaining prior to the 2019 PBR World Finals in Las Vegas on Nov. 6-10, but now trails world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) by a slimmer 3,179.16 points.
Leme went 0-for-2 at the Minneapolis Invitational, but gained 60 world points inside the Target Center for his fourth-place finish in the final 15/15 Bucking Battle of the season.
Third was 2017 PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana) who also won Friday night’s 15/15 Bucking Battle, his league-best fourth of the season.
Much like Davis, Lockwood bounced back from a Round 1 buckoff, going a perfect 2-for-2 Saturday night to gain significant ground on world No. 1 Leme.
Lockwood first rode Tulsa Time (C Check Bucking Bulls) in Round 2 for 88.25 points, which he followed with the second-best score of the championship round, an 89-point trip aboard Gambini (Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen/Clay Struve/Chad Berger).
Collectively earning a paycheck for $19,850 and 420 world points, No. 2 Lockwood greatly decreased world No. 1 Leme’s lead. Entering the event 1,031.66 points back, the Montana man is now within 671.66 points.
Fourth was Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) who is now the leader in the 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year race, leading No. 2 Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas) by 121.25 points.
Beginning the event with a Round 1-winning, 87-point trip on Really Western (C Check Bucking Bulls), the young gun remained perfect in Round 2 when he rode Hitman (C Check Bucking Bulls) for 87.25 points.
Entering the championship round as the event’s top rider, thereby having the first pick in the bull draft, the 20-year-old selected Rising Sun (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls) who in his last trip propelled Leme to victory in Anaheim, California, with a 90-point-plus score.
This trip, however, did not end celebration, with Kasel sent to the dirt in a nail-biting 6.5 seconds.
Kasel earned $10,630 and 250 world points. He is now No. 10 in the world after entering the event ranked No. 15.
Rounding out the Top 5 was Cody Teel (Kountze, Texas). His 2-for-3 showing included an 83.25-point ride on Rojo (Phenom Genetics/Holthusen/Sankey Pro Rodeo) in Round 1, followed by a Round 2-winning, 88.75-point trip aboard Painted Moon (RD Cattle/K-C Bucking Bulls).
Teel left the Target Center with a check for $7,480 and 120 world points. He remains No. 6 in the world.
Smooth Operator (Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen/Clay Struve/Chad Berger) earned his league-leading sixth YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event honors in Minneapolis. The bovine athlete from eight-time PBR Stock Contractor of the Year Chad Berger recorded the top marks in the final 15/15 Bucking Battle of the season, marked 45.25 points for his 4.05-second buckoff of Matt Triplett (Columbia Falls, Montana).
Ranked No. 1 in the World Champion Bull race, Smooth Operator remains 0.15 points ahead of No. 2 Smooth Wreck (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struve/Diamond Willow).
Also in the bull pen, Bad Touch (Jo Z Bucking Bulls/K-C) recorded his 34th consecutive premier series buckoff when he dispatched Brady Sims (Holt, Missouri) in the championship round in a quick 3.92 seconds. Bushwacker leads the PBR with the all-time record of consecutive elite series buckoffs with 42.
Fans can relive all the action from the PBR Unleash The Beast’s Minneapolis Invitational on Sunday, October 6, at 8:00 a.m. EDT on RidePass.com or via the RidePass mobile app.
CBS Sports will air the 10th and final 15/15 Bucking Battle of the season at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, October 6. CBS Sports Network will broadcast all the action from Championship Saturday, including Round 2 and the championship round, on Sunday, October 6 at 6:00 p.m. EDT.
Elsewhere in the PBR, Ramon de Lima (Rio Branco, Brazil) captured the first PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event win of his career, victorious at the Huntington Invitational inside Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, West Virginia.
The 28-year-old got off to a fast start on the opening night of competition Friday evening, recording the top score in Round 1 with an 88-point ride aboard How Bout It (UTC/Sellers Bucking Bulls).
While his momentum continued in Round 2, marked 85.5 points atop Church Bells (Tyler Ball/J.W. Hart), his bid for his eighth consecutive qualified ride came to an end in the championship round, bested by Mr. Wilson (Clark View Farms) in a heartbreaking 7.61 seconds.
Lima’s 2-for-3 performance earned him $6,100 and 230 world points. He additionally earned an invite to compete on the premier PBR Unleash The Beast in Nampa, Idaho, on October 18-19 for the Cooper Tires Take The Money and Ride.
Looking to qualify for his third consecutive PBR World Finals, Lima gained significant ground in the PBR world standings courtesy of the win. Ranked No. 64 in the world prior to the event, he is now No. 44, a mere 269.16 points outside of the Top 35.
The elite PBR Unleash The Beast will next travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, and Greensboro Coliseum on October 12-13 with the Greensboro Invitational. Action gets underway with Round 1 on Saturday, October 12 at 6:45 p.m. EDT, concluding with Round 2 and the championship round on Sunday, October 13 at 1:45 p.m. EDT.
PBR Unleash The Beast
Minneapolis Invitational
Target Center – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Alan de Souza, 85.75-85-88.5-259.25-460 Points.
2. Cooper Davis, 0-88.25-90.75-179.00-400 Points.
3. Jess Lockwood, 0-87-89-176.00-270 Points.
4. Dalton Kasel, 87-87.25-0-174.25-250 Points.
5. Cody Teel, 83.25-88.75-0-172.00-120 Points.
6. Mason Taylor, 85.25-87.25-0-172.50-100 Points.
7. Cody Nance, 84.25-0-88.25-172.50-95 Points.
8. Rubens Barbosa, 86.75-0-0-86.75-62.5 Points.
(tie). Junio Quaresima, 86.75-0-0-86.75-62.5 Points.
10. Chase Outlaw, 86.25-0-0-86.25-40 Points.
(tie). Brady Sims, 86.25-0-0-86.25-40 Points.
12. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-86.5-0-86.50-20 Points.
(tie). Kurt Shephard, 84.25-85.75-0-170.00-20 Points.
14. Matt Triplett, 85.75-0-0-85.75-15 Points.
15. Ruger Piva, 85.5-84-0-169.50-10 Points.
16. Dakota Buttar, 84.75-0-0-84.75
17. Taylor Toves, 0-83.75-0-83.75
18. Alisson De Souza, 0-83.25-0-83.25
19. Lucas Divino, 80.5-0-0-80.50
20. Marco Eguchi, 76-0-0-76.00
Jose Vitor Leme, 0-0-0-0.00
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Jesus, 0-0-0-0.00
Stetson Lawrence, 0-0-0-0.00
Brennon Eldred, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0.00
Michael Lane, 0-0-0-0.00
Dylan Smith, 0-0-0-0.00
Scottie Knapp, 0-0-0-0.00
Ouncie Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00
Junior Patrick Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
2019 PBR World Finals Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5's, Points, Total Winnings)
1. Jose Vitor Leme, 51, 10, 28, 6,171.66, $421,202.79
2. Jess Lockwood, 41, 14, 26, 5,500.00, $444,231.80
3. Chase Outlaw, 61, 10, 18, 5,032.50, $446,204.02
4. João Ricardo Vieira, 46, 5, 17, 4,462.50, $470,534.43
5. Cooper Davis, 29, 2, 13, 2,992.50, $220,505.45
6. Cody Teel, 45, 4, 12, 2,538.33, $202,403.29
7. Derek Kolbaba, 47, 3, 11, 1,936.66, $200,435.05
8. Marco Eguchi, 35, 2, 6, 1,905.00, $226,190.46
9. Luciano De Castro, 34, 0, 7, 1,870.00, $98,413.01
10. Dalton Kasel, 29, 2, 10, 1,667.91, $140,887.75
11. Ryan Dirteater, 27, 1, 10, 1,618.33, $114,746.18
12. Ezekiel Mitchell, 52, 4, 9, 1,546.66, $85,901.64
13. Alisson De Souza, 43, 3, 9, 1,524.16, $82,034.33
14. Daylon Swearingen, 41, 5, 16, 1,462.50, $94,620.93
15. Matt Triplett, 38, 1, 7, 1,442.50, $82,090.58
16. Mason Taylor, 35, 1, 8, 1,366.66, $80,902.06
17. Lucas Divino, 42, 1, 6, 1,359.16, $80,273.97
18. Claudio Montanha Jr., 41, 1, 4, 1,357.50, $131,645.48
19. Aaron Kleier, 37, 5, 21, 1,346.66, $61,468.90
20. Cody Jesus, 25, 1, 6, 1,255.83, $93,110.24
21. Stetson Lawrence, 42, 0, 9, 1,233.33, $85,831.70
22. Cody Nance, 43, 2, 8, 1,125.00, $92,203.85
23. Silvano Alves, 38, 2, 8, 1,041.66, $72,159.83
24. Alan de Souza, 24, 4, 6, 1,022.50, $60,313.06
25. Brennon Eldred, 39, 0, 7, 975.00, $83,147.41
26. Dakota Buttar, 43, 5, 15, 937.50, $63,675.21
27. Joe Frost, 26, 1, 3, 904.16, $44,730.57
28. J.B. Mauney, 20, 1, 2, 899.16, $66,676.53
29. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 35, 1, 7, 890.00, $66,423.27
30. Eduardo Aparecido, 30, 0, 6, 870.00, $99,533.50
31. Rubens Barbosa, 42, 0, 8, 865.00, $66,115.49
31. Michael Lane, 34, 2, 7, 865.00, $34,975.33
33. Cannon Cravens, 27, 0, 4, 850.00, $74,729.99
33. Brady Fielder, 31, 7, 15, 850.00, $41,931.97
35. Taylor Toves, 43, 2, 6, 794.16, $50,589.58
36. Dylan Smith, 45, 3, 7, 714.16, $41,675.51
37. Colten Jesse, 18, 0, 1, 686.66, $54,716.65
38. Cliff Richardson, 23, 2, 8, 670.00, $28,987.12
39. Jared Parsonage, 38, 2, 14, 650.00, $59,565.94
40. Scottie Knapp, 38, 2, 8, 595.00, $46,107.37
41. Danilo Carlos Sobrinho, 27, 1, 3, 585.00, $38,528.35
41. Kurt Shephard, 29, 1, 8, 585.00, $43,242.80
43. Junio Quaresima, 35, 1, 4, 530.00, $36,929.11
44. Ramon de Lima, 24, 1, 3, 525.00, $26,378.27
45. Cody Heffernan, 16, 4, 7, 522.50, $21,953.35
