Dougherty Leads Round 1 After Opening Night of PBR’s First PREMIER Bank PREMIER Bankcard Invitational in Sioux Falls

By: Mandi McCary

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Chase Dougherty (Decatur, Texas) stood on the dirt with a Texas-sized grin as he took the lead in Round 1 of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) First PREMIER Bank PREMIER Bankcard Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

As the very first rider of the night, the lanky 23-year-old launched from the chutes aboard Concealed Carry (Gene Owen / Jerry Rush) on a mission to secure his place in the event.

Setting the tone for the night, his ride score of 89.25 points unleashed a roar from the South Dakota crowd.

“There’s a lot of good bull riders here tonight,” said Dougherty. “I love coming to this event—it’s my favorite of the year.”

Dougherty currently sits at No. 14 in the world standings as he makes a play this weekend to move into the Top 10.

 
The weekend in Sioux Falls showcases a unique format for fans, with the three-day event also involving a 15/15 Bucking Battle.

The draw features 65 riders competing in Round 1, which will involve riders split into two groups for the first two nights of competition.

On Friday night, the 15 riders competing in Saturday evening’s 15/15 Bucking Battle and an additional 25 riders each attempted one bull. Round 1 will then conclude on Saturday with the remaining 25 riders who did not compete Friday attempting one bull each.

For Round 2 on Sunday, all seeded riders for the event will automatically advance, along with those competing on injury exemptions or with a Velocity Tour invite and any of the 35 invited competitors who logged a qualified ride in Round 1.

The 12 bull riders with the top combined ride scores following the first two rounds will then advance to the championship round later on Sunday.

Close on Dougherty’s heels Friday night was fellow Texan Austin Richardson (Dallas, Texas).

Just a few rides behind Dougherty as the round opened, Richardson was paired with I’m No Angel (Cooper/ Scruggs Bucking Bulls) for a resounding 88 points.

Richardson began the weekend at No. 16 in the world.

 
Coming in third on Friday night, Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) had the crowd celebrating.

Paired with Look Alive (Lucas Manning Bucking Bulls) for 87.75 points, Aparecido looks toward Sunday to advance from No. 12 in the world standings into the Top 10 in addition to climbing the event leaderboard.

Two cowboys shared fourth place as the first half of Round 1 rolled to a close. Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington) and Alex Marcilio (Macaubal, Brazil) finished out the night with matching 86.75-point rides.

As Kolbaba climbed aboard Risen’s Freight Train (Cooper/Scruggs Bucking Bulls), his stern look showcased his concentration on besting his bovine opponent.

The veteran rider sits at No. 15 in the world standings.

Currently sitting at No. 66 in the world standings, Marcilio was later matched with Can’t Get Right (Flying V Bucking Bulls) to keep the rowdy South Dakota crowd cheering.

Just one week after leaving Albuquerque fans in awe by conquering World Champion Bull Woopaa (Barker Bulls/ Hookin’ W Ranch), world No. 1, Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) did not have the Friday night he hoped for when arriving in South Dakota.

Despite being launched in the air by Old Time Religion (Lucas Manning Bucking Bulls) at 3.49 seconds, Vieira is guaranteed a return on Sunday.

Like Vieira, reigning PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) was unsuccessful on Friday night but will be guaranteed a return spot on Sunday.

Paired with Slingin Lead (Viducic Bucking Bulls/ Wyatt Bridge), judges called Leme’s ride a no score at 7.56 seconds as the arena echoed with disapproving fans.

The best bull riders in the world will return to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center on Saturday, April 1, for the continuation of Round 1 of the PBR First PREMIER Bank PREMIER Bankcard Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires. The night will also feature a special 15/15 Bucking Battle round.

PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Tune to channel 720 for the latest programming schedule.

PBR Unleash The Beast – PBR First PREMIER Bank PREMIER Bankcard Last Cowboy Standing
Denny Sanford PREMIER Center -Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Chase Dougherty, 0-89.25-0-0-89.25
2. Austin Richardson, 0-88-0-0-88.00
3. Eduardo Aparecido, 0-87.75-0-0-87.75
4. Derek Kolbaba, 0-86.75-0-0-86.75
(tie). Alex Marcilio, 0-86.75-0-0-86.75
6. Kaique Pacheco, 0-86-0-0-86.00
7. Dalton Rudman, 0-85.75-0-0-85.75
8. Dalton Kasel, 0-85.25-0-0-85.25
(tie). Dakota Louis, 0-85.25-0-0-85.25
10. Alisson De Souza, 0-84.25-0-0-84.25
11. Cladson Rodolfo, 0-83.5-0-0-83.50
12. Tye Chandler, 0-81.25-0-0-81.25
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kyler Oliver, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Jose Vitor Leme, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dener Barbosa, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Bob Mitchell, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0-0.00
João Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Matt Triplett, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Brady Fielder, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Brady Oleson, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Clayton Sellars, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cardozo, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Adriano Salgado, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Casey Coulter, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Sam Woodall, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Lane Nobles, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Conner Halverson, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Brandon Davis, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marcos Gloria, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Paulo Ferreira Lima, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dawson Branton, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Jesse Petri, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Fernando Henrique Novais, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Griffin Smeltzer, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Trace Brown, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Blake Smith, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Hunter Ball, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Eagleburger, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Venn Johns, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Elijah Mora, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Coverchuk, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Patterson Starcher, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Leonardo Lima, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Thor Hoefer II, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Daniel Keeping, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Caden Bunch, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kade Alberty, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Casey Roberts, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Colten Fritzlan, 0-0-0-0-0.00

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