Matt Triplett Wins PBR AutoZone Challenge

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – Montana man Matt Triplett continued his return from injury at the PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) AutoZone Challenge BlueDEF Tour (BDT) event in Memphis and won Tuesday night at FedEx Forum. It was his first BDT event this season, and his first PBR victory in a year.

It was Triplett’s second event since undergoing reconstructive shoulder surgery earlier this year. He returned to competition at the PBR Monster Energy Canada Tour event in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Triplett was one of two riders that went 2-for-2 as he earned 80 points toward the PBR world standings along with a paycheck of $7,000. He tallied rides of 83.5 points on Gut Punch (Davis Rodeo Ranch/Barton) and 87.5 points on Blue Gangster (Jeff Robinson Bucking Bulls), finishing second in Round 1 and winning the championship round.

Josh Faircloth (Randleman, North Carolina) finished in second after his own 2-for-2 performance, picking up 50 points toward the world standings. Faircloth finished second in Round 1 after an 85-point ride atop Double A (Jenkins Cattle Co.) before riding Scare Crow (Jenkins Cattle Co.) for 81.5 points in the short round.

Cody Rodeo Tyler (Guthrie, Oklahoma) took third place after he turned in a score of 86 points aboard Schizophrenic (Rickey West Bucking Bulls) in Round 1. He earned 30 points toward the world standings and took home $3,300.

Douglas Duncan (Alvin, Texas) was the fourth place finisher after he tallied 83.5 points in Round 1 on Dirty Diamond (Jenkins Bucking Bulls). He picked up 20 points toward the world standings along with $1,800 for his performance.

Robson Aragao (Aracaju, Brazil) and Keyshawn Whitehorse (The Woodlands, Texas) finished in fifth and sixth, respectively. The pair each covered their Round 1 bulls. Arago earned 15 world points and $840 after riding Little Waspy (Rickey West Bucking Bulls) while Whitehorse earned 10 world points along with a paycheck of $560 when he covered Buck Dynasty (BMC Bucking Bulls/Jeff Robinson).

Memphis was the 29^th event of the 2016 BlueDEF Tour. The season will culminate with the 2016 BlueDEF Finals taking place Oct. 29-31 at South Point Arena in Las Vegas. The 2016 BlueDEF Champion, the rider who earns the most world points throughout the 2016 BDT season including the BlueDEF Finals, will receive $50,000 and qualify to compete at the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals Nov. 2-6 down the strip at T-Mobile Arena.

The BlueDEF Tour will be stopping this weekend in Albany, New York on Oct. 1 at Times Union Center.

September 27 at AutoZone Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee
Final Results (Round 1-Round 2- Aggregate Score-World Standings Points-Earnings)

1. Matt Triplett, 83.5-87.5-171.0-80-$7,000
2. Josh Faircloth, 85-81.5-166.5-40-$5,750
3. Cody Rodeo Tyler, 86-0-86.0-30-$3,300
4. Douglas Duncan, 83.5-0-83.5-20-$1,850
5. Robson Aragao, 82-0-82.0-15-$840
6. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 81.5-0-81.5-10-$560