From the Vault: The Final Days of the 2019 World Championship Race
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – The 2019 PBR World Finals featured one of the most exciting back-and-forth title races as Jess Lockwood and Jose Vitor Leme continuously traded qualified ride for qualified ride, while Chase Outlaw refused to give up as well.
Fans can re-live all the magic of the 2019 Finals and see Lockwood come from behind to win his second world title this Sunday on CBS Sports national television at 1:30 p.m. ET and on CBS Sports Network at 11:30 a.m. ET.
The special recap show focuses in on the rivalry between the two young superstars, and a World Championship race that was not decided until the final day of the 2019 season.
PBR.com’s From the Vault series takes readers back this weekend on a day-by-day recap of the 2019 World Finals beginning first with the 2019 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals.
November 1, 2019
Leme and Lockwood bringing 2017 predictions to fruition
The two superstars of the 2017 PBR World Finals stood next to each other on the rainbow confetti-covered stage inside T-Mobile Arena on November 5, 2017, with the sparkling World Championship trophy standing behind them.
Jess Lockwood was still dabbing his eyes as he recovered from the emotional toll of becoming the PBR’s youngest World Champion at 20 years old.
To his left stood an unknown bull riding sensation named Jose Vitor Leme. The 21-year-old’s best way to communicate just how life-changing his 6-for-6 World Finals event victory was without a translator was an ear-to-ear grin and a broken English “thank you.”
It was one of the best days of their lives as they posed for a photo holding their giant award presentation checks and prestigious belt buckles.
November 2, 2019
Leme and Lockwood remain locked in heated world title race in Round 1 of Velocity Finals
In front of a historic, sold-out crowd inside South Point Arena & Equestrian Center, the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) world title race intensified Saturday evening during Round 1 of the 2019 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals with world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) and No. 2 Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana) both posting Top-5 scores.
Leme not feeling any pressure as world No. 1 at Velocity Tour Finals
Jose Vitor Leme landed on his feet inside the South Point Arena on Saturday night and immediately crossed his arms in defiance.
If Leme is supposed to feel any sort of pressure about the 2019 World Championship race or be fazed by No. 2 Jess Lockwood riding Hammered Down for 88 points just minutes earlier, do not expect him to.
Leme ended Round 1 of the 2019 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals with an 87.5-point ride on Little Joe to finish the night in fourth place, right on the heels of Lockwood’s third-place showing.
It was a dominant night for the top two bull riders in the world.
November 3, 2019
Leme wins 2019 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Championship to extend lead atop world standings
World No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme inched one step closer to etching his name in the PBR record books Sunday evening at the 2019 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, regarded as the “Championship before the Championship.” Winning the season-culminating event for the league’s premier expansion series en route to capturing the coveted 2019 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Championship, Leme left South Point Arena & Equestrian Center with a firmer hold atop the world standings, now 749.16 points ahead of No. 2 Jess Lockwood before the 2019 PBR Unleash The Beast World Finals.
November 6, 2019
Leme, Lockwood, Outlaw all see importance of Round 1 momentum at World Finals
Momentum, momentum, momentum.
It is an obvious force, and it is a necessary feeling all 40 bull riders competing at the 2019 PBR World Finals will be searching for Wednesday night inside T-Mobile Arena.
However, for the five riders that remain mathematically alive for the 2019 World Championship – No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme, No. 2 Jess Lockwood, No. 3 Chase Outlaw, No. 4 Joao Ricardo Vieira and No. 5 Cooper Davis – a qualified ride in Round 1 historically has been of utmost importance.
Only five of the past 19 World Champions have failed to ride their Round 1 bull at the World Finals during their gold buckle seasons.
World Championship race intensifies as Top 3 riders cover Round 1 draws
On the opening night of competition for the 2019 PBR Unleash The Beast World Finals, the Top 3 bull riders went jump-for-jump, and blow-for-blow as each made the 8-second buzzer aboard their Round 1 draw inside T-Mobile Arena, further intensifying the already feverishly contested World Championship race.
Outlaw: ‘If you’re not having fun, you should’ve stayed at the house’
Chase Outlaw is having fun.
Pacing like a caged animal before Round 1 of the 2019 PBR World Finals kicked off. Yelling at the top of his lungs for his friends and competitors as they ride their bulls. Getting even louder after he himself rode Foghorn Leghorn for 88.5 points to tie for second place in the round. Showing up to the Round 1 post-event press conference in a dark red, paisley blazer.
This is Chase Outlaw living his best life.
“If you’re not having fun, you should’ve stayed at the house,” Outlaw said before coughing. “Excuse me. Been hollering for all these guys making such good bull rides that I can’t hardly talk.”
November 7, 2019
Lockwood ready for 90-plus potential on Spotted Demon at World Finals
Jess Lockwood rolled his gear bag into the locker room at T-Mobile Arena and placed it down in a familiar spot.
Lockwood began to unpack his things for the 2019 PBR World Finals knowing that he is in the hunt at winning a second World Championship at the young age of 22 years old.
As he grabbed for his bull rope, Lockwood couldn’t help but think a little bit about celebrating his first World Championship in this exact spot.
“This is exciting,” Lockwood said before the start of Round 1. “You don’t really take it in as it is happening, but you kind of have to stop once in a while and think, ‘Wow, I am in a world title race. This is really happening.’
Lockwood delivers 90-point ride in Round 2 to hone in on No. 1 ranking
On a raucous Thursday night inside T-Mobile Arena that bore witness to three 90-point rides, 2017 PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood delivered a monstrous 91.5-point ride in Round 2 of the 2019 PBR Unleash The Beast World Finals to chip away at world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme’s lead atop the standings. The Montana man is now within 609.16 points of the top spot.
Leme remains confident after Round 2 slap opens door for Lockwood in title race
Danny Boy did exactly what world leader Jose Vitor Leme expected during Round 2 of the 2019 PBR World Finals on Thursday night.
The problem for Leme was his free arm did not do as he would have liked when Danny Boy turned away from his riding hand.
Leme wound up slapping Danny Boy at 1.9 seconds inside T-Mobile Arena, thickening the plot for the 2019 World Championship race.
November 8, 2019
Lockwood: ‘To win the world title, I am going to have to win the average’
The intensity in Jess Lockwood’s face was reverberating throughout his body and up and down the stands of T-Mobile Arena Thursday night following the 2017 World Champion’s 91.5-point ride on Spotted Demon.
The juxtaposition of Lockwood this week at the 2019 PBR World Finals has been an extremely composed rider outside of the arena that evolves into a fierce and determined championship contender.
It has been a cocktail Lockwood has learned to balance since winning Rookie of the Year despite an 0-for-5 showing at his first World Finals.
Lockwood wins Round 3 of World Finals to further cut into No. 1 Leme’s lead
The top three bull riders in the world once again closed out a 2019 PBR World Finals round by sweeping the final three bulls, further intensifying what is shaping up to be the most exciting championship race in the sport’s history.
During Friday night’s Round 3 of the 2019 PBR Unleash The Beast World Finals, not a single seat was occupied for the last three outs of the most prestigious event in bull riding. While each of the world’s Top 3 recorded an 8-second effort, 2017 PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood’s dominant 92-point point ride propelled him to the round win, allowing him to further reduce No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme’s lead atop the world rankings.
Outlaw rides Mason’s Missouri Golden in honor of Mason Lowe during emotional night
Chase Outlaw walked down to the lobby at the New York New York Hotel & Casino to say hello to Abbey Lowe on Friday morning.
Lowe was attending Round 3 of the 2019 PBR World Finals to present 2017 World Champion Jess Lockwood with the newly announced Mason Lowe Memorial Award. The award will be given annually to the bull rider who posts the highest-scored ride of the regular season.
Lockwood earned the inaugural award with a 94.5-point ride on Heartbreak Kid in Nampa, Idaho.
Outlaw and Abbey grew to be like family over the years as the late Mason Lowe and Outlaw became best friends going up and down the PBR trail.
If there was ever a bull rider that could one-up Chase Outlaw one-liners, you could bet it was Mason Lowe.
Outlaw and Abbey began to catch up at the New York New York before Outlaw eventually told her about the bull he had selected during the Round 3 bull draft.
Mason’s Missouri Golden.
In pursuit of world title, Leme rides in front of his family for first time
Following Round 3 of the 2019 PBR World Finals, Jose Vitor Leme was backstage in T-Mobile Arena when a little girl peeked around the corner of the hallway and waved at him.
Grinning, the world No. 1 bull rider called out and waved her over.
She dashed towards him, and he crouched down to envelop her in a hug, cradling the back of her head.
It had been two long years since he’d seen his 6-year-old sister, Lais, and suddenly the world title race seemed just a touch less important than it had yesterday.
November 9, 2019
Marchi sees “on fire” Lockwood riding like he did during 2008 World Championship run
Team Brazil coach Guilherme Marchi was sitting inside the locker room Friday afternoon and looked across the room to see 2017 World Champion Jess Lockwood preparing his bull rope.
“He looks better than I did,” Marchi said, pointing in Lockwood’s direction. “They are different years, but he is on fire like I was in 2008.”
Marchi put forth one of the greatest seasons of all time 11 years ago when he finally ended a streak of three consecutive runner-up finishes to win the 2008 World Championship.
The 15-time World Finals qualifier rode a remarkable 72.55% of his bulls (74-for-102) that year, winning five events and posting 13 90-point rides on his way to the World Championship.
Lockwood – the No. 2-ranked bull rider in the world today – raised his riding percentage to 67.77% Friday night when he won Round 3 of the PBR World Finals with a 92-point ride – his 12th 90 of the season – on Biker Bob.
Leme, Lockwood and Outlaw remain in fierce World Championship race following Round 4
The world’s top three bull riders once again went toe-to-toe and ride-for-ride in all conquering their bulls inside a sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Round 4, and deciding the 2019 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast World Finals will go down to the final out.
While World No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme, No. 2 Jess Lockwood and No. 3 Chase Outlaw delivered qualified rides to intensify the ferocious World Championship race, Rubens Barbosa recorded the fourth highest-marked ride in the history of the World Finals on Chiseled for 95.75 points to win Round 4.
Heading into the final day of competition, Leme now leads Lockwood by a slim 377.49 points.
Leme points at Lockwood following qualified ride; world title race coming down to final day
The 8-second buzzer went off, the scoreboard turned green and the sellout crowd at T-Mobile Arena erupted Saturday night during Round 4 of the PBR World Finals.
World leader Jose Vitor Leme had just capped a sensational night with an emphatic 89.75-point ride on Bootdaddy.com minutes after No. 2 Jess Lockwood rode The Right Stuff for 91.75 points.
Then came The Point.
Leme did not just ride his bull, but he pointed at Lockwood on the back of the bucking chutes before he dismounted Bootdaddy.com.
Lockwood: ‘I just have to nod my head and I am staying on’
Jess Lockwood plans to wake up early on Sunday morning in his hotel room at the New York New York Hotel & Casino to order some room service for breakfast.
It will be a similar routine to what he did two years ago when he became the youngest World Champion in PBR history. In 2017, Lockwood got up, ordered an omelet and some toast, and went back to sleep before it arrived.
“I ate and kind of slept in as much as I could,” Lockwood recalled. “I didn’t eat much. I was a little nervous.”
The No. 2-ranked bull rider will want to eat something light once again before he prepares to head to T-Mobile Arena Sunday looking to make history as the sixth bull rider to win multiple World Championships.
Lockwood is the only rider a perfect 4-for-4 at the 2019 PBR World Finals, and he is in the driver’s seat to win the 2019 World Championship and his first career World Finals event title.
November 10, 2019
Lockwood in awe of joining childhood heroes in PBR record books with second world title
Newly minted two-time World Champion Jess Lockwood took a seat inside the now empty locker room at T-Mobile Arena and wrapped his left fingers around a cold Coors Banquet.
Disbelief and leftover adrenaline had resulted in the 22-year-old being at a near loss for words.
It was a stark contrast compared to two years ago when the stunned 20-year-old sat on the exact same bench in the locker room wiping tears out of his eyes with an unwavering smile after achieving a lifelong dream of becoming a World Champion.
Lockwood’s second title is more historic than symbolic for the kid from the ever so small and rural town of Volborg, Montana.
Marchi believes Leme will come back stronger, determined following championship heartbreak
Jose Vitor Leme stood just beyond the out gate and began to tug at the riding glove on his left hand.
“The champ is here,” was blaring on full blasting throughout the loudspeakers at T-Mobile Arena as newly minted 2019 World Champion Jess Lockwood climbed aboard Canadian Mist during the championship round of the 2019 PBR World Finals.
Lil 2 Train had just bucked Leme off in 4.59 seconds, cementing hs fate for a second consecutive year as the World Champion bridesmaid.
Leme tucked his chin and his upper lip quivered as he waited for Lockwood’s celebration to end inside the arena. CBS Sports Network needed to do an interview with him, and Leme understood.
Regardless, the 22-year-old could not hide his pain any longer. His heartbreak. His soul-crushing disappointment.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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