Hamilton Ready for Photo-Finish Return to Billings
By: Justin Felisko
BILLINGS, Mont. – The only number that matters to Ky Hamilton this weekend is 8.
Hamilton is going to focus on recording as many 8-second rides as he can, regardless of where he is competing or where he could end up in the future.
The 22-year-old, though, will also be paying close attention to the clock on Sunday.
Hamilton is amidst his premier series debut this weekend at the PBR Cooper Tires Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, in Billings, Montana, and is sitting in seventh place in Billings courtesy of his 83.75-point ride on Alberta Springs on Friday night.
Hamilton, the No. 12 ranked bull rider in the PRCA, was heading south Saturday to compete at the PRCA Xtreme Bulls event in Del Rio, Texas.
The Mackay, Australia, native will then drive to San Antonio early on Sunday morning to catch a flight to Dallas and hop on another plane in an attempt to make it back to Billings for Championship Sunday.
“I land here at 1:18 p.m.,” Hamilton said. “It will be a photo-finish here on Sunday.”
Championship Sunday in Billings begins at 2 p.m. at First Interstate Bank Arena at MetraPark, which is only 5 minutes away from Logan International Airport.
There are also five riders competing at the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on Saturday night who will be returning to Billings on Sunday – three-time World Champion Silvano Alves, Joao Henrique Lucas, Griffin Smeltzer, Conner Halverson and Dakota Louis.
Hamilton made a nice readjustment on Friday night in Round 1 when Alberta Springs stumbled some out of the gate and nearly dropped Hamilton off his side.
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“I just hung on,” Hamilton said. “That was all still try and being cowboy about things. I am lucky enough to be in the locker room in the rodeo world with that J.B. Mauney, and he sure makes you want to be a cowboy and bring out that old school try.”
Hamilton needed a qualified ride to advance to Round 2 on Sunday and keep alive his hopes of sneaking into the PBR World Finals on May 13 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Team Australia Global Cup rider is 84th in the PBR world standings and is 97 points behind the Top 35.
A victory on Sunday could very well put Hamilton, who missed four weeks this season because of a lacerated kidney at Global Cup, in a position to qualify for his first career World Finals.
“I am just here to stay on and that’s the plan,” Hamilton said. “The rest will take care of itself. I know if I do win it what it can do. I will just deal with that when it happens.”
Hamilton is also No. 41 in the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour standings and could be eligible for the VT Finals next weekend in Corpus Christi, Texas, depending on injuries, but Hamilton is noncommittal because of his PRCA schedule.
“We will see what happens this weekend,” Hamilton said. “There is a big Xtreme Bulls in Uvalde (next weekend) so we will see about Velocity Finals. I would be willing to do the PBR Finals and then get back on the rodeo trail. I will decide this week.”
There is another decision looming for Hamilton, and other riders as well this week. The deadline to declare for the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, is May 6.
Hamilton is 19-for-44 (43.18%) at all levels of competition this year, and one of the top riders from Australia would be considered a Top 40 draft pick, for sure. Hamilton, though, is still debating where he wants to focus his goals for the remainder of 2022.
“I haven’t yet (decided), and I am still thinking about it,” Hamilton said. “I still have some stuff in the rodeo world I want to get done. I definitely want to come over here full time at some point, but I have some things I want to get done over there. I want to win a world title. If you want to win it, you have to be 100% committed, but we will see after this weekend.
“I know my capabilities and know where I belong. I think I just haven’t accomplished what I wanted to do in the PRCA so that is what is still holding me there. At the end of the day, I am still only 22 and haven’t even hit my prime yet.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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