Sage Kimzey Sweeps the First Two Days at ProRodeo Tour Finale
Sage Kimzey during second performance of the California Rodeo Salinas Up 9/24/2021. Photo by Christopher Thompson
SALINAS, Calif. – Sage Kimzey arrived in Salinas, Calif. as the leader in not only the PRCA | RAM World Standings, but the ProRodeo Tour standings and he’s proved why through two days of rodeo in the Bay Area.
Kimzey won the second round of the ProRodeo Tour Finale on Friday, Sept. 24 with an 87.5-point ride on Corey & Lange’s Sleepy Joe. It was revenge for Kimzey after that same bull put him in the dirt a month ago.
“That’s just a really nice bull of Mike Corey’s,” said Kimzey, a six-time PRCA World Champion Bull Rider. “He actually threw me off at Hermiston (Ore.) earlier this year. So, it was definitely a little sweet revenge tonight. He’s a really nice bull, he’s all you can ask out of one.”
His eight-second cover made it back-to-back round wins for Kimzey. He’s earned $4,456 so far this Tour Finale, with still two days of rodeoing left to go. The Salado, Texas, cowboy, has accomplished so much over his career, but he’s yet to check off a Tour Finale win or even a win in Salinas for that matter.
“I mean it’s big to come out here, get off to a good start, and just keep staying on bulls,” Kimzey said. “You know I’ve never won Salinas and I’ve never won the Tour Finale. So, maybe I can get two birds with one stone here this weekend.”
The Finale is serving as a warmup to Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with a handful of the bull riders getting on five bulls in five days. He says the format doesn’t change a guy’s mentality, in fact staying in one place is a nice change of pace.
“It doesn’t really change a guy’s mentality at all,” he says. “Usually, we’d be getting on this many bulls, but traveling eight hours in between rodeos. So, it’s almost like a little mini vacation out here. I’m getting to enjoy the sights and sounds of Salinas, it’s been a nice change of pace for us.”
He says even though he’s banged up he has his sights on a Tour Finale title. He doesn’t plan to let a few bumps and bruises get in the way of that.
“I’m banged up right now, I mean at the end of the season I think we all are,” Kimzey said. “We are all tired and sore, but you know it’s just minor bumps and bruises. Bull riding is a tough sport, so I just have to keep my head down and keep going to work.”
Courtesy of PRCA