News

Up for grabs

Going into Springfield, race is too close to call

PUEBLO, Colo. (September 17, 2009) - “One bull at a time.”

That’s about the only statement you’ll get from Kody Lostroh regarding one of the tightest races for a world title in the 16-year history of the PBR.

Although the Colorado cowboy is solely focused on his first-round bull in Springfield, Mo., the fact is there are 24 bulls and 761.25 points between now and Sunday, Nov. 8, when the 2009 World Champion will be decided.

Lostroh’s lead had erroneously been reported as having been cut down to 409 points after J.B. Mauney won last weekend in Reno, because points earned at the PBR World Cup event were inadvertently calculated in the standings.

The scoring error was discovered Tuesday evening and corrected early Wednesday. The world standings now reflect the accurate point totals.

With a total of 900 points available this weekend at the PFIWestern.com Invitational presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mauney is still within one Built Ford Tough Series event of overtaking Lostroh, who came down hard in the short round last week in Reno.

Lostroh was 1-for-3 last weekend, while Mauney has covered his last six bulls and eight of his last 10.

The Carolina cowboy has won two of the past three BFTS events. When coupled with Lostroh’s win in Tulsa the Top 2 riders in the world have accounted for three of the four event wins since the two-month long summer break.

Both Lostroh and Mauney have each won four events and together they account for eight of the 26 wins this year.

“It’s going to be a dog fight,” Mauney said.

With a total of 6,500 points available in Las Vegas during the eight rounds that make up the Finals, the title likely will be determined during the final round. It will also likely involve more than just Lostroh and Mauney.

The Top 5 riders in the world are within reach.

Guilherme Marchi, the defending World Champion, is only 1,587.75 points behind Lostroh, while Valdiron de Oliveira trails by 3,337.25, and Zack Brown, who has three event wins in 2009, is 3,436.25 points off of the lead.

The next six riders in the standings – Ryan McConnel, Renato Nunes, Wiley Petersen, Robson Palermo, Chris Shivers and Sean Willingham – are within 4,002 and 4,377.25 points of Lostroh.

Mike Lee holds the record for the most points won during the Finals. The former World Champion earned 4,821.75 points in 2004 en route becoming the only cowboy to win both the Finals event and world title in the same year.

With each passing BFTS event, points become an even more sought-after commodity.

Only two of the Top 40 riders in the world – Brian Canter, 12, and Mike White, 30 – are out with injuries.

White, who will don a helmet, will return next week in Ontario, Calif., while Canter is not expected to return to the BFTS until the final event of the regular season in Uncasville, Conn.

This weekend’s event, which is the 27th of 31 stops on the BFTS, takes place Saturday and Sunday in Springfield at the JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University.

News and Notes

Road to Vegas: All roads are leading to Las Vegas! The Built Ford Tough Series is in Springfield this weekend, but at this time of the season the PBR is all about the World Finals, which is Oct. 30 through Nov. 8. Call 866-PBR-SHOW for ticket information or log onto www.unlvtickets.com to order your tickets for what will be one of the tightest finishes for the world title.

Worldwide leader in sports: After reading all the content – Web features, blogs and Podcasts – at www.pbrnow.com, fans can get even more coverage from ESPN by logging onto www.espnbullriding.com.

Tweet, tweet: Be sure to follow the PBR on Twitter at www.twitter.com/teampbr.

—by Keith Ryan Cartwright