Davis Trying To Build Off Global Cup Fire Heading Into Iron Cowboy
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis stormed past the out gate inside Enterprise Center and tried to hold back his rage for bucking off Stunt Man Ray during the championship round of the Mason Lowe Memorial Saturday night.
It was a similar scene to the anger Davis had a week earlier when he bucked off Bad Beagle during Team USA’s final out at the Global Cup.
Two buckoffs.
Two missed opportunities at victory.
The fire, and ensuing mindset, that Davis brings annually to the Global Cup is something he wants to channel this season as he tries to push himself into contention for a second world title.
Davis has openly talked about his struggles getting into the right frame of mind to chase a world title, and that is no easier today than it was yesterday.
However, Davis knows the Cooper Davis at the Global Cup could be a dangerous one weekly on the Unleash The Beast.
“I have been trying to feed off the success I had there and keeping the ball rolling,” Davis said. “I am trying to stay in that same mindset I was in, and it is working.”
Davis went 2-for-3 at the Mason Lowe Memorial with 86.25 points on Mac’s Barbeque and 87.25 points on Rockafeller for his second third-place finish of 2019.
The 24-year-old heads into next weekend’s Iron Cowboy, presented by Ariat, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles ranked eighth in the world standings.
In fact, Davis has ridden five of his last seven bulls when including the Global Cup.
Davis began the season 4-for-9 in three UTB events.
“It is always a big changer whenever you come off a team event like that,” Davis said of the momentum he gained from Global Cup. “For me, whenever you come from having guys pumping you up in your corner and having them counting on you and you are counting on them as well, I seem to do well.”
The second PBR Major of the season can be a tremendous pendulum swing in momentum for Davis or the other 39 riders set to compete in L.A.
Iron Cowboy is one of the most iconic events a PBR bull rider can win in his career, and the title comes with a payday of at least $100,000 and potentially 1,250 points toward the world standings.
Davis trails world No. 1 Jess Lockwood by 1,482.5 points in the world standings.
Lockwood is out for the next five weeks with a broken left collarbone.
“That is another big event,” Davis said. “If we can go there and get the W, that would make up a lot of ground right there. To do that helps out the rest of the year.”
Riders have to reach the 8-second mark to advance in the competition.
Iron Cowboy is a minimum of two rounds and a maximum of five. At least 25 riders will advance to Round 2, with any draw spots being filled by the current world standings heading into Iron Cowboy if there are less than 25 rides in Round 1.
If all riders buck off in Rounds 2, 3 or 4, all riders that attempted a bull advance to the next round.
If there is more than one ride in the final round (Round 5), then the Iron Cowboy will be the rider with the highest ride score in Round 5. If there are no rides in Round 5, then the Iron Cowboy will be the rider with the most round points that had competed in Round 5.
The last three World Champions – Kaique Pacheco, Lockwood and Davis – have won a PBR Major the year they won their world title.
Iron Cowboy is the second of four PBR Majors. Lockwood won the first PBR Major, and the next Major following Iron Cowboy will be Last Cowboy Standing in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on July 22-23.
Davis won the 2016 Music City Knockout in Nashville three years ago to help propel himself to a world title.
Getting a victory this weekend at Iron Cowboy could also keep Davis in that World Championship mindset.
This weekend it was apparent once Davis tied for the Round 1 victory with 86.25 points on Mac’s Barbeque that he was even more determined to finish the weekend with a victory.
“It is really important to go get that first one down because it sets the tempo for the rest of the weekend,” Davis said. “If I can get the ball rolling early, that is the kicker for everything. If I feel like I have a shot to win, it normally goes better than usual.”
Davis then also was fired up on Saturday night when he earned some bragging rights over his pal Jeremy Walker (Paradigm Bull Company) by riding Rockafeller for 87.25 points.
“That was a fun one for a bull that was supposed to be mean and scary,” Davis said. “He was a teddy bear. Jeremy has been giving me crap about it since he has owned that bull. He has not been a favorite of mine but I figured I would make the most of it seeing as I had him today.”
Davis has six event wins in his five-year career, including the 2015 PBR World Finals event average, and now the Jasper, Texas, cowboy will look to add another chapter to his saga on the West Coast.
This weekend is the PBR’s first premier series event in downtown Los Angeles.
The STAPLES Center is no stranger to historic moments, and Davis would love to etch the first bull riding one into STAPLES Center lore.
“With all the guys that have been through there, legends in their own rights, that would be pretty cool,” Davis said. “Kobe Bryant and guys like that (have played there). That is pretty cool.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
© 2019 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.