World Finals Redux: Top 8 Scores from Global Cup Riders
By: Darci Miller
PUEBLO, Colo. – With the 2019 PBR World Finals officially in the rearview mirror, attention now turns to next season and the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort PBR Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy. On Feb. 15-16, the world’s best bull riders from five nations will converge on Arlington, Texas, to battle it out for bull riding supremacy.
Last week, the first three coaches picks for each of the six teams were announced. Many of them competed at the World Finals and gave us a preview of what we can expect at the Global Cup.
Check out the Top 8 rides from the Global Cup riders at the World Finals.
1) Jess Lockwood (Team USA Eagles) – 92 points on Biker Bob, Round 3
Lockwood won Round 3 on the back of his stellar 92-point ride aboard Biker Bob, a bull he’d ridden for 90 points before. The round win earned him 300 world points to cut Jose Vitor Leme’s world lead to 407.49 points.
“You know he’s gonna come out there 100 mph to the left,” Lockwood said of Biker Bob. “He was just that, and nice enough to let me stay on top of him.”
2) Jess Lockwood (Team USA Eagles) – 91.75 points on The Right Stuff, Round 4
Lockwood recorded his third consecutive 90-point ride at the World Finals with 91.75 points on The Right Stuff. He placed third in the round to net 125 world points and enter the final day of competition a perfect 4-for-4.
“The week has been going good,” Lockwood said. “I am not comfortable, but I just feel confident. All I feel like is I have to nod my head and my body is going to take over and I am going to stay on. It is at that point where I just feel so good and just need to finish them.”
3) Chase Outlaw (Team USA Eagles) – 91.5 points on Big Black, Round 5
On the final day of the World Finals, Chase Outlaw showed up and showed out with his best ride of the week. His 91.5 points aboard Big Black earned him a tie for the Round 5 win with Rubens Barbosa, and he entered the championship round in third place in the aggregate.
3) Jess Lockwood (Team USA Eagles) – 91.5 points on Spotted Demon, Round 2
Lockwood placed seventh in Round 1, but was immediately looking forward to having 90-point potential on Spotted Demon in Round 2.
“He is not the bull he was,” Lockwood said. “He is a little more rider-friendly now, but he still bucks hard. He doesn’t have as much head-slinging or whip as he used to, but he still does the job good enough to get you a round win.”
Lockwood turned out to be very nearly prescient, as he rode Spotted Demon for 91.5 points and second place in Round 2.
5) Jess Lockwood (Team USA Eagles) – 91.25 points on Rising Sun, Round 5
In what would end up being his final qualified ride at the World Finals, Lockwood finished third in Round 5 with his 91.25-point ride aboard Rising Sun. It would turn out to be enough to win him the World Finals event title and clinch his second career World Championship.
6) Jose Vitor Leme (Team Brazil) – 91 points on Cochise, Round 5
Leme improved to 4-for-5 with his 91-point ride aboard Cochise in Round 5, his first 90-point ride of the World Finals. He finished fourth in the round to ensure the title race came down to the final bulls.
7) Cooper Davis (Team USA Eagles) – 90.75 points on Trail of Tears, Round 5
Davis was just 1-for-4 heading into the final day of the World Finals, but the 2016 World Champion made it count in Round 5 with a 90.75-point ride on Trail of Tears.
8) Jose Vitor Leme (Team Brazil) – 89.75 points on BootDaddy.com, Round 4
Leme rode BootDaddy.com for 89.75 points in Round 4, but the real fireworks came after the whistle blew. Leme continued riding and pointed at Lockwood on the back of the chutes, throwing down the gauntlet heading into the final day of the title race.
“The reason I did that was by far no disrespect or to be aggressive toward him,” Leme said following the round with the help of Paulo Crimber translating. “It was to turn this into a fun moment and pretty much say, ‘Hey, it doesn’t matter what you do. It is not going to bother me none. I am not worried about what is going on around me. I am here to do my job and this is what I am going to do, and this is what I just did.’”
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