PUEBLO, Colo. – There is a new man atop the 2021 Rookie of the Year standings.
Junior Patrik Souza leapfrogged Rafael Henrique dos Santos and Chase Dougherty by going 2-for-3 at the PBR U.S. Border Patrol Invitational, presented by Ariat, this weekend at the AT&T Center.
Souza began his weekend with 88.5 points on Cliff Hanger and 88.25 points on Silver Lining. However, he could not seal the victory as Bubba G bucked him off in 7.32 seconds during the championship round.
Regardless, Souza left San Antonio with 83.5 world points thanks to a career-best second-place finish to jump into the No. 1 ranking for the Rookie of the Year title.
Souza will take an extremely slim nine-point lead on No. 2 Dougherty, who went 0-for-2 in San Antonio, into next weekend’s Union Home Mortgage Invitational, presented by Bass Pro Shops, in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Meanwhile, No. 3 rookie Santos did not compete Sunday in San Antonio because of a strained left groin.
The 2021 Rookie of the Year race continues to be impacted by injuries as No. 8 rookie Austin Richardson sustained a broken right collarbone, per Dr. Tandy Freeman, when Capone bucked him off in 5.68 seconds on Sunday.
Article Courtesy of PBR
Photo By Andy Watson/ Bull Stock Media
