KENNEWICK, Wash. – Riding in front of a home-state crowd, no rider was more dominant than Washington’s own Cody Casper (Newport, Washington) at the first-ever PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event in Kennewick, Washington. Delivering a perfect 3-for-3 performance inside the Toyota Center, Casper won the PBR Tri-Cities Classic.
As action got underway Friday evening, Casper was one of nine contenders to record a score in Round 1, covering Teddy Bear (Big Bend/Flying Five) for 80 points.
Casper continued his momentum in Round 2 Saturday, again making the 8 aboard Supreme (H5 Bucking Bulls) for 58.5 points. While the 28-year-old earned a re-ride, he declined the opportunity, subsequently punching his ticket to the championship round as the lone cowboy with two qualified rides.
As the last man to leave the chutes in the Evergreen State, the raucous crowd was brought to the edge of its seat as Casper climbed aboard Sitting Bull (Diamond Willow/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger).
In near-picture-perfect form, Casper matched the powerful bovine athlete jump-for-jump en route to an 87.5-point score.
Following a thoroughly earned celebration dirtside, Casper collected the glittering buckle for his sixth career PBR victory. The golden finish earned Casper a critical 37 world points as he attempts to qualify for his second consecutive PBR World Finals.
After slipping to No. 94 in the race for the PBR World Championship as he recovered from a pelvis injury, Casper catapulted 36 positions in the world rankings, surging to No. 58. He is now within 157 points of the Top 30 and a seeded position on the elite Unleash The Beast.
Three-time Team Mexico rider Alvaro Aguilar Alvarez (La Punta Lagos Moreno, Brazil) was second, earning 34 world points.
Alvarez got off to a hot start, winning Round 1 courtesy of an 87.5-point ride on Gate Keeper (Howell Rodeo Company Inc.). Despite bucking off Hawkeye (H5 Bucking Bulls) in 5.59 seconds in Round 2, Alvarez returned determined in the final round.
Drawing Lil Bit Crazy (Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) as his final animal athlete opponent, Alvarez regained his title-contending form, making the 8 for an event-best 88.5 points.
Alvarez left the Toyota Center ranked No. 65 in the world, up 46 positions after traveling to Washington as the No. 111 man on the planet.
Gage Gay (Staley, North Carolina) was third.
After delivering the second-best score of Round 1, riding Drifter (Big Bend/Flying Five) for 86 points, Gage’s event came to an early end when he injured his shoulder following his hard-fought, 7.94-second buckoff on Whiskey Bent (Wentz Bucking Bulls/Aces Wild Pro Rodeo) in Round 2.
Gay earned 14 world points, rising from No. 90 to No. 77 as he attempts to qualify for the sixth PBR World Finals of his career.
Fourth was Thor Hoefer II (Priest River, Idaho), with his 1-for-3 effort headlined by an 84-point ride aboard Blue Stone (Ken Barnhardt/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger).
Hoefer netted 9 world points for his efforts.
Rounding out the Top 5 were Lane Nobles (West, Texas) and D.J. Parker (Ronan, Montana), who tied for fifth.
Both registering 83.5-point rides in Round 1 to earn 5 world points, Nobles covered Crooked Nose (Big Bend/Flying Five) while Parker went the distance aboard Desperado (Big Bend/Flying Five).
In the bull pen, Agent 88 (Howell Rodeo Company Inc.) was the high-marked bull of the event. Posting an event-best 44.5-point score in the championship round, he made swift work of Nobles, dispatching him in 4.8 seconds.
The PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour will next travel to Church Rock, New Mexico, for the PBR Buckin’ at the Rock. Action at Red Rock Park Arena will get underway Saturday, September 18 at 7:00 p.m. MDT.
PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour – Tri-Cities Classic
Toyota Center – Kennewick, Washington
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Cody Casper, 80-58.5-87.5-226.00-37 Points.
2. Alvaro Aguilar Alvarez, 87.5-0-88.5-176.00-34 Points.
3. Gage Gay [1], 86-0-0-86.00-14 Points.
4. Thor Hoefer II, 84-0-0-84.00-9 Points.
5. Lane Nobles, 83.5-0-0-83.50-5 Points.
(tie). D.J. Parker [2], 83.5-0-0-83.50-5 Points.
7. Kyle Jones, 0-83-0-83.00-8 Points.
(tie). Wyatt Rogers [2], 83-0-0-83.00-2 Points.
9. Bo T Vocu, 81.5-0-0-81.50-1 Points.
10. Wylee Hurst, 0-81-0-81.00-4 Points.
11. Bob Mitchell, 63-0-0-63.00
Michael Lane, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0.00
Matt Triplett, 0-0-0-0.00
D.J. Parker [1], 0-0-0-0.00
Dalton Rudman, 0-0-0-0.00
Gage Gay [2], 0-0-0-0.00
Jory Markiss, 0-0-0-0.00
Wyatt Rogers [1], 0-0-0-0.00
Francisco Morales, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0.00
Dalton Davis, 0-0-0-0.00
Jake Davis, 0-0-0-0.00
Kane Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00
Austin Covington, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Hudson, 0-0-0-0.00
Jacob Ramirez [1], 0-0-0-0.00
Jacob Ramirez [2], 0-0-0-0.00
Brett Scull, 0-0-0-0.00
Anthony Hopen, 0-0-0-0.00
Jason Landing, 0-0-0-0.00
Anthony Bonifer, 0-0-0-0.00
Judson Burgee, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Rouse, 0-0-0-0.00
Blaine Wiggins, 0-0-0-0.00
Article Courtesy of PBR
