What to Watch for: No. 3 Melancon and Two-Time World Champion Lockwood Returning in Louisville
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – World No. 3 Cole Melancon was a late scratch from the PBR Caterpillar Classic last Friday when he learned the extent of the damage inside his right riding elbow.
Melancon has been trying to overcome a sore elbow for the majority of the 2021 season. He finally decided to get it looked at in Houston on March 19 to attempt to find some answers as to why his elbow would hurt some weekends and not others.
The answer?
“I have some floating bone chips in my elbow, and that’s why I can’t straighten it all the way,” Melancon told PBR.com this week. “The doctor explained it as like having a rock in your boot. He said you can go a while without it bothering you, but when it gets in the right spot, it hurts like hell. Same with my elbow. I can go a few weeks without it hurting me, and then the next weekend, it hurts so bad I don’t want to get on.”
Melancon will ultimately need to undergo surgery to clean out his elbow, which he plans to get done at the end of the first half. He will meet with Dr. Tandy Freeman and likely then have elbow specialist John Conway perform the surgery.
The 26-year-old believes he will be out for six weeks whenever he decides to get the procedure done.
However, Melancon wants to try and battle his way through the pain for the remainder of the Unleash The Beast first half while he’s in the thick of the PBR World Championship race.
Melancon heads into this weekend’s Lucas Oil Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky, as the No. 3-ranked bull rider in the world. He trails world leader Cooper Davis by 211.5 points.
“(The elbow) is annoying and aggravating,” Melancon said. “Especially with me sitting where I’m sitting in the world. I want to be healthy and continue for that world title.”
Melancon has drawn The Hard Stuff (25-4, UTB) for Round 1 on Saturday night at the KFC Yum! Center and I’m Busted (15-2, premier series) for the 15/15 Bucking Battle. Melancon is 6-for-19 this season with a PBR-high four round wins.
Meanwhile, two-time World Champion Jess Lockwood is also returning to competition after missing Kansas City because of a free hand injury. Lockwood has drawn Troll (2-0, UTB) for Round 1.
WHO IS IN/OUT FOR LOUISVILLE
Riders from last year’s Top 25 that are not competing
No. 9 Daylon Swearingen (right shoulder surgery)
No. 14 Colten Jesse (hip surgery)
No. 16 Cody Teel (left thigh)
No. 20 Brennon Eldred (broken ribs/partially collapsed lung)
No. 22 Fabiano Vieira (head injury)
Additional riders in 2021 Top 30 that are not competing
No. 22 Dalton Kasel (elbow surgery)
No. 24 Lucas Divino (left knee)
No. 26 Jesse Petri (lacerated liver)
No. 29 Brady Fielder (in Australia)
Alternates for this weekend
Joao Henrique Lucas
J.T. Moore
Claudio Montanha Jr.
OUTLAW, ALVIDREZ AMONG 5 RIDERS COMPETING VIA EXEMPTION
Chase Outlaw (3 injury exemptions remaining after Louisville)
Andrew Alvidrez (3 event exemptions remaining)
Matt Triplett (5 event exemptions remaining
Ramon de Lima (4 event exemptions remaining)
Kyle Jones (final exemption remaining)
Kyle Jones is down to his last injury exemption and is right on the alternate cutline. Jones begins the event No. 33 in the world standings, but he is just two points behind No. 32 Claudio Montanha Jr., the last alternate this weekend.
Jones has drawn Mr. Majestic (29-9, UTB) for Round 1.
NANCE IS NEW NO. 1 RIDER ON PENDLETON WHISKY VELOCITY TOUR
This weekend’s PWVT invite is Cody Nance. The 11-time PBR World Finals qualifier has taken over the No. 1 ranking on the Velocity Tour following his 3-for-3, second-place finish at the Pensacola Invitational.
Nance has two second-place finishes on the PWVT and is a red-hot 5-for-6 on the PBR’s expansion tour to rank No. 31 in the world standings.
Nance holds a 1.83-point lead on the injured Jesse Petri in the PWVT standings, and he is only 4.34 points outside of the Top 30 of the world standings.
The 33-year-old has drawn Patillo Ridge (2-1, UTB) for Round 1.
Nance will also have an automatic bid for the PBR First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard Invitational in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on April 9-11, with no Velocity Tour events scheduled until April 9-10 in College Station, Texas.
DAVIS TAKES 65-POINT LEAD INTO LOUISVILLE
World leader Cooper Davis will look to build off his 3-for-3, second-place finish last weekend in Kansas City when he faces Playing Chicken (2-0, UTB) in Round 1 at the KFC Yum! Center.
Davis, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Tuesday, leads 2018 World Champion and world No. 2 Kaique Pacheco by 65 points in the world standings.
Davis also has a rematch against Preacher’s Kid (18-2, UTB) in the 15/15 Bucking Battle on Saturday night, which airs Sunday at noon ET on CBS national television. Davis rode Preacher’s Kid for 89.5 points last year in Fort Worth, Texas.
PACHECO HIGHLIGHTS ROUND 1 REMATCHES
Pacheco takes on Nailed (24-28, UTB), a bull he has previously ridden for 88.75 points at the 2017 Music City Knockout in Nashville.
Round 1 Rematches
Ezekiel Mitchell vs. Stunt Man Ray (1-1; 89.75 points at the 2019 UTB event in Duluth, Georgia)
Kaique Pacheco vs. Nailed (88.75 points at the 2017 event in Nashville)
Marco Eguchi vs. Losing My Religion (1-3; 89.5 points at the 2019 event in Columbus, Ohio)
Mason Taylor vs. Kickstart My Heart (3.56 seconds in Ocala, Florida)
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Leo Loera/Bull Stock Media
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