NUMBER NINETEEN – For the 19th consecutive year, Albuquerque, New Mexico, will host the PBR’s Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) Ty Murray Invitational presented by Sandia Resort & Casino, brought to you locally by Sonic, this weekend at The Pit. The competition will take place on Friday, March 20, at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 21, at 7:50 p.m. and Sunday, March 22, at 1:50 p.m.
ON TAP – The BFTS makes a stop in Washington next week for the Seattle Invitational. The KeyArena in Seattle will host the Top 35 bull riders in the world on Friday, March 27 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 28, at 6:50 p.m.
PAST ALBUQUERQUE EVENT WINNERS – Five former PBR World Champions have won the Ty Murray Invitational in Albuquerque, including 1996 World Champion Owen Washburn, 1999 World Champion Cody Hart, two- time World Champion Justin McBride, three-time World Champion Adriano Moraes and 2013 World Champion J.B. Mauney.
2014 Cody Nance
2013 Joao Ricardo Vieira
2012 J.B. Mauney
2011 L.J. Jenkins
2010 Austin Meier
2009 Zack Brown
2008 L.J. Jenkins
2007 Adriano Moraes
2006 Colby Yates
2005 Justin McBride
Jake McIntyre
2004 Mike White
2003 Mike White
2002 Mike White
2001 Justin McBride
2000 Owen Washburn
1999 Cody Hart
1998 J.W. Hart
1997 Norman Curry
FORMAT – The Top 35 bull riders on the BFTS will compete in Round 1 on Friday, Round 2 on Saturday, and Round 3 on Sunday, facing one bull in each round. The riders with the Top 15 total scores after all three rounds will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round on Sunday for an additional ride and a chance at the $30,000 event title.
POSSIBLE POINTS – There are 800 possible points available in Albuquerque, as the winner of the event average will receive 400 points and each of the four round wins are worth 100 points apiece.
PROVIDING PROTECTION – The Dickies® Bullfighters this weekend are Jesse Byrne of Okotoks, Alberta; Shorty Gorham of Cotulla, Texas; and Frank Newsom of Paoli, Oklahoma.
TELEVISION BROADCAST – PBR LIVE via CarbonTV.com will broadcast the Ty Murray Invitational presented by Sandia Resort & Casino in real time at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, March 20; 9:50 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 21; and 3:50 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 22. PBR LIVE is now available at no charge to all fans and media. Visit www.PBR.com/live to view.
CBS Sports Network will broadcast Round 3 and the Built Ford Tough Championship Round live on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET. Veteran broadcaster Craig Hummer will provide the play-by-play, color commentary will be provided by Ty Murray, while Leah Garcia will handle dirt-level interviews.
Sunday will be a PURE PBR broadcast that will also include commentary from Dickies® Bullfighter Shorty Gorham. The PURE PBR broadcasts provide a new approach, including everything from candid moments between rides to various opportunities for the broadcasters to not only explain, but also visually illustrate a point they’re trying to make. Expect Hummer, McBride and Gorham to take viewers inside the world of the PBR, spending one-on-one time with riders before their respective rides and giving viewers a chance to listen in on the one-of-a-kind conversation.
BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR by David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer and creative lead.
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