PUEBLO, Colo. – After his notable debut at the PBR’s event in Laughlin, Nevada, last weekend, the Professional Bull Riders has decided to extend an invitation to Neil Holmes (Houston, Texas) to compete in the Built Ford Tough Series.
Holmes’ impressive performance included going 2-for-3 for the weekend and holding the event lead for the majority of Round 2. He entered the Built Ford Tough Championship Round in the No. 2 position and finished the event in fourth place.
Holmes earned a spot on the BFTS roster for Laughlin’s Desert Showdown presented by Cooper Tires on Sept. 19 -20 by winning the Touring Pro Division in Fredericksburg, Texas. TPD event winners are awarded the opportunity to compete at the upcoming BFTS event as an alternate. It’s an opportunity for riders to earn enough points to become one of the Top 35 competitors and to ensure that the best bull riders compete on the BFTS.
The PBR also has the ability to invite outside competitors to compete at the BFTS at any time. The sport exercises this option every year when it extends invitations to Native American riders for the Ty Murray Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Exercising the option again, the PBR has invited Holmes to compete in the upcoming BFTS events in Oakland, California (Sept. 26-27); Biloxi, Mississippi (Oct. 3-4); and Allentown, Pennsylvania (Oct. 10-11). The invitation does not affect the current Top 35 PBR riders. The PBR will provide additional bulls at these competitions for Holmes without disrupting the set draw. These events will mark his opportunity to gain the points necessary to break into the Top 35 in the PBR world standings and make his way onto the Built Ford Tough Series.
“The PBR features the best bull riders in the world competing against the sport’s best bulls,” PBR Chairman and CEO Jim Haworth said. “Neil rode alongside the Top 35 bull riders in the world with great confidence in Laughlin. He displayed the talent and ability to compete on the BFTS, so we’re happy to extend this invitation to him.”
Four-time defending PRCA World Champion J.W. Harris and 2013 International Indian Finals Rodeo World Champion Bull Rider Guytin Tsosie accepted similar invitations earlier this year. Harris is ranked in the Top 35 poised to qualify for and compete in his first PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals on Oct. 22-26 in Las Vegas. Tsosie was ranked in the Top 35 earlier this season, but is out for the rest of the year after undergoing season-ending surgery.
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