TACOMA, Wash. ― The evening belonged to the new talent Saturday at the Tacoma Dome during Round 1 of the Professional Bull Riders Passport Invitational, part of the 2014 Built Ford Tough Series. Montana’s Matt Triplett won Round 1 with an 87-point ride aboard Prince Albert (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Dallas Schott).
It’s the second consecutive week that Triplett has captured a round win. He won Round 2 of the Bass Pro Chute Out in Phoenix last weekend.
Stormy Wing of Dalhart, Texas, pulled off an 86.25-point performance onPlummer Butt (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve) and currently sits in second place, while rookie Tanner Byrne, brother of Dickies Bullfighter Jesse Byrne, is tied for third with Douglas Duncan with 85.75 points. Fellow rookie Brady Sims is tied for fifth with 2013 Rookie of the Year Joao Ricardo Vieira with 85.25 points.
Nineteen men successfully covered their bulls this evening, a 2014 BFTS high, including three alternate riders making their first appearances on the series this season. Derek Powell and Alex Aparecido Marcilio, who earned their spots in the Passport Invitational by way of victories in the PBR’s Touring Pro Division last week, and David Scott Mason, who stepped in for an injured Zane Lambert, each took advantage of the opportunity and covered their first bulls in the Built Ford Tough Series.
World No. 1 Guilherme Marchi continued his riding ways and currently sits in the Top 15 with 81.25 points on California Kid (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve).
Fan favorite J.B. Mauney fell short of the 8-second buzzer by .65 seconds. Buck Nasty (Wentz Bucking Bulls) tossed the reigning World Champion to the ground and roughed him up a bit before strutting out of the arena. Mauney is probable for Round 2 after suffering a variety of bruises.
VIDEO: J.B. Mauney takes a hit from Buck Nasty on Saturday night
Round 2 of the Passport Invitational and the Built Ford Tough Championship Round will take place Sunday afternoon starting at 2:50 p.m. These final rounds will air live on CBS Sports Network at 6 p.m. ET.
The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network and networks around the world. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with 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.
Tacoma is the 11th stop of 27 on the 2014 PBR Built Ford Tough Series schedule. The season kicked off Jan. 3-5 at Madison Square Garden in New York and will conclude at the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 22-26 when the 2014 PBR World Champion, the bull rider who earns the most points during the 2014 season, will receive the coveted World Championship belt buckle and a $1 million bonus.
Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series
PBR Passport Invitational
Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Wash.
Event Leaders (Round 1-Event Points)
1. Matt Triplett, 87-87.00 points.
2. Stormy Wing, 86.25-86.25 points.
3. Douglas Duncan, 85.75-85.75 points.
(tie). Tanner Byrne, 85.75-85.75 points.
5. Brady Sims, 85.25-85.25 points.
(tie). Joao Ricardo Vieira, 85.25-85.25 points.
7. Gage Gay, 85-85.00 points.
8. Jordan Hupp, 84.75-84.75 points.
9. Kasey Hayes, 84-84.00 points.
(tie). Valdiron de Oliveira, 84-84.00 points.
11. Cody Nance, 83.5-83.50 points.
12. Eduardo Aparecido, 83.25-83.25 points.
(tie). Fabiano Vieira, 83.25-83.25 points.
14. Renato Nunes, 82.75-82.75 points.
15. Guilherme Marchi, 81.25-81.25 points.
16. Derek Powell, 80.75-80.75 points.
17. Alex Aparecido Marcilio, 79-79.00 points.
18. Sean Willingham, 77.75-77.75 points.
19. David Scott Mason, 76.25-76.25 points.
Billy Robinson, 0-0.00 points.
Chase Outlaw, 0-0.00 points.
Emilio Resende, 0-0.00 points.
Harve Stewart, 0-0.00 points.
J.B. Mauney, 0-0.00 points.
Jory Markiss, 0-0.00 points.
L.J. Jenkins, 0-0.00 points.
Lachlan Richardson, 0-0.00 points.
Marco Eguchi, 0-0.00 points.
Markus Mariluch, 0-0.00 points.
Mike Lee, 0-0.00 points.
Pistol Robinson, 0-0.00 points.
Ryan Dirteater, 0-0.00 points.
Silvano Alves, 0-0.00 points.
Skeeter Kingsolver, 0-0.00 points.
Ty Pozzobon, 0-0.00 points.
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