World No. 4 Vieira Wins Round 1 of PBR’s 13th Visit to Greensboro
By: Easton Colvin
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Inside historic Greensboro Coliseum, 37-year-old veteran Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) won Round 1 of the 2021 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Union Home Mortgage Invitational presented by Bass Pro Shops on Saturday night.
Vieira – a fan favorite across the world – won the round with a 90.25-point conquering of Viper (Cord McCoy/Big Sky Bulls, LLC) late in the round that raised the crowd to rowdy applause. The 90-point ride was the 45th of Vieira’s career across all levels of competition and his 27th on PBR’s elite series.
The round win netted the Brazilian 29 world points, shrinking the lead of world No. 3 Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) – who bucked off of Shark Bait (Rickey West Bucking Bulls/2R Bucking Bulls) in 7.97 seconds in Round 1 – to 364 points with five rounds of Unleash The Beast (UTB) competition remaining before the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada Nov. 3-7.
World No. 4 Vieira now trails No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) by 1,144 points. Leme remains sidelined with a right groin injury for the third straight week.
Fellow Brazilian Claudio Montanha Jr. (Pacaembu, Brazil) finished Round 1 in second place thanks to his 89-point ride on Express Lane (Rickey West Bucking Bulls/2R Bucking Bulls). The ride was Montanha’s second in his last three attempts, as the 32-year-old looks to pick up his first event win since 2019.
Montanha added 18 world points to his 2021 total, moving him up two spots to No. 26 in the world standings.
2020 PBR Rookie of the Year Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett, Texas) continued his success this season with an 88.75-point ride for third place in Round 1. Mounting Caddyshack (Blake Sharp/Paige Stout/Lukas Banning Bucking Bulls) midway through the round, the PBR World Finals and Wrangler NFR qualifier bested the white bull to the 8-second whistle.
The Texan picked up 17 world points for the finish, and he jumped one spot to No. 6 in the world standings.
2018 PBR World Finals event winner Marco Eguchi (Poa, Brazil) finished Round 1 in fourth. BestingDang it (Davis Rodeo Ranch/Ed & Cindy Fogle) for 87 points on the way to the 8-second mark, Eguchi picked up 16 world points.
The veteran Eguchi is currently the No. 15 rider in the world standings.
A newcomer on the elite UTB tour, Conner Halverson (Gordon, Nebraska) put together his third elite series ride, this one for a fifth-place finish. Taking care of business on Budakon (Hart Cattle Co/Hale) for 86.5 points, the 20-year-old earned 15 world points, moving three spots to No. 35 in the world standings.
The world’s top bull riders return to action from Greensboro Coliseum for Round 2 and the championship round on Sunday, October 9 at 1:45 p.m. Greensboro’s 15/15 Bucking Battle will be broadcast on CBS Sports at 3 p.m. ET Sunday (check local listings).
Professional Bull Riders
PBR UNIONHOME MORTGAGE INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY BASS PRO SHOP
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro Coliseum
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. João Ricardo Vieira, 90.25-0-0-90.25-29 Points.
2. Claudio Montanha Jr., 89-0-0-89.00-18 Points.
3. Boudreaux Campbell, 88.75-0-0-88.75-17 Points.
4. Marco Eguchi, 87-0-0-87.00-16 Points.
5. Conner Halverson, 86.5-0-0-86.50-15 Points.
6. Junior Patrik Souza, 86-0-0-86.00-14 Points.
7. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 85-0-0-85.00-13 Points.
8. Silvano Alves, 83.75-0-0-83.75-12 Points.
9. Fernando Henrique Novais, 83.5-0-0-83.50-11 Points.
10. Eli Vastbinder, 81.5-0-0-81.50-10 Points.
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0.00
Cooper Davis, 0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0.00
Dalton Kasel, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Chase Dougherty, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0.00
Jesse Petri, 0-0-0-0.00
João Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00
Cole Melancon, 0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00
Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-0-0.00
Thiago Salgado, 0-0-0-0.00
Adriano Salgado, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0.00
Brennon Eldred, 0-0-0-0.00
Carlos Garcia, 0-0-0-0.00
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