PUEBLO, Colo. (October 13, 2010) - The Professional Bull Riders have announced the 53 riders who have qualified for the 2010 Built Ford Tough World Finals on Oct. 20-24 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Riders qualify for the World Finals based on money earned throughout the season on the nationally-televised Built Ford Tough Series, the Touring Pro Division (the PBR’s developmental league), and international events in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico.
The qualifiers include four former World Champions: Chris Shivers of Jonesville, La., who won in 2000 and 2003; defending World Champion Kody Lostroh of Longmont, Colo.; Guilherme Marchi of Leme, Brazil (2008), and Mike Lee of Decatur, Texas (2004).
In addition to the Top 40 highest money earners, the field includes the top-ranked riders from PBR Australia, PBR Brazil, PBR Canada and PBR Mexico, and the Top 3 riders from each of the three regions of the PBR’s Touring Pro Division.
Each of the top-ranked riders from PBR Australia (David Kennedy of Kyogle, Australia), PBR Brazil (Elton Cide of Valentim Gentil, Brazil), PBR Canada (Zane Lambert of Westbourne, Manitoba) and PBR Mexico (Adrian Ferreiro of Saltillo, Mexico) have also been extended an invitation to compete in the first two rounds. If the international invitees earn enough money in Rounds 1 and 2 to rank in the Top 40 in the money standings, they will be allowed to compete for the remainder of the Finals.
The Top 3 riders from each of the three regions in the developmental Touring Pro Division, based on money earned, have been invited to compete in Round 1 of the Finals. The two riders of that group of nine with the highest scores will advance and compete in the remainder of the Finals. Riders must make a qualified ride in Round 1 to advance. The qualifiers from the Eastern Region are Josh Faircloth of Randleman, N.C., Kevin McKeeman of Lake Wales, Fla., and Billy Robinson of Galax, Va. The qualifiers from the Midwest Region are Robson Aragao of Aracaju, Brazil, Reese Cates of El Dorado, Ark. (2008 PBR Rookie of the Year), and Cord McCoy of Ada, Okla.
McCoy, whose determination and positive attitude have made him a fan favorite in the PBR for years, was recently a runner-up in the CBS hit “The Amazing Race,” along with his brother Jet.
The qualifiers from the Western Region are Scottie Knapp of Albuquerque, N.M., Pete Farley of Kempsey, Australia, and Mark Lopes of Sutter Creek, Calif.
The PBR also announced the five alternates for the World Finals, who will be allowed to compete if riders seeded in the Top 40 cannot. The alternates are Caleb Sanderson of Kissimmee, Fla., McCoy, Zack Brown of North Shore, Hawaii, Jared Farley of Kempsey, Australia, and Aragao.
The Finals consist of six rounds of competition. The first five rounds feature all of the riders. The scores from those five rounds will be combined, and the Top 15 riders will advance for an additional round of competition, following the completion of Round 5 on Sunday, Oct. 24. The rider with the highest total score will earn the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals Event title and $250,000.
The Finals begin Wednesday, Oct. 20, and continue through Sunday, Oct. 24, with bull riding beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Tickets begin at $21 and can be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center box office, online at www.unlvtickets.com and by telephone at 866-PBR-SHOW.
For more information on the World Finals please visit www.pbr.com/competition/bfts/worldfinals2010/eventload.cfm?id=3266
The World Finals will be televised on VERSUS at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and on NBC at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Top 40 Qualifiers (Money Earned)
1.
Valdiron de Oliveira, Aparecida de Goiania, Brazil
$400,419
2.
Guilherme Marchi, Leme, Brazil
$342,729
3.
J.B. Mauney, Mooresville, N.C.
$284,311
4.
Renato Nunes, Buritama, Brazil
$274,152
5.
Austin Meier, Kinta, Okla.
$263,703
6.
Silvano Alves, Pilar do Sul, Brazil
$179,480
7.
Travis Briscoe, Edgewood, N.M.
$167,145
8.
Douglas Duncan, Alvin, Texas
$161,291
9.
Mike Lee, Decatur, Texas
$146,140
10.
Ryan McConnel, Coalgate, Okla.
$137,896
11.
Ned Cross, Midland, Ore.
$134,702
12.
Robson Palermo, Rio Branco, Brazil
$129,519
13.
McKennon Wimberly, Cool, Texas
$119,283
14.
Ben Jones, Goulburn, Australia
$117,409
15.
Colby Yates, Fort Worth, Texas
$117,342
16.
Aaron Roy, Asquith, Saskatchewan
$114,598
17.
Shane Proctor, Mooresville, N.C.
$110,685
18.
Pistol Robinson, Burleson, Texas
$106,379
19.
Kody Lostroh, Longmont, Colo.
$99,747
20.
Paulo Lima, Bezerros, Brazil
$96,198
21.
Cody Nance, Paris, Tenn.
$94,503
22.
Sean Willingham, Summerville, Ga.
$89,569
23.
Wesley Lourenço, Itajobi, Brazil
$89,307
24.
Brendon Clark, Morpeth, Australia
$87,320
25.
Jordan Hupp, Cheyenne, Wyo.
$85,117
26.
Ross Coleman, Molalla, Ore.
$82,873
27.
Chris Shivers, Jonesville, La.
$82,070
28.
Jody Newberry, Ada, Okla.
$79,668
29.
L.J. Jenkins, Porum, Okla.
$77,042
30.
Skeeter Kingsolver, Mclouth, Kan.
$76,145
31.
Wiley Petersen, Fort Hall, Idaho
$73,764
32.
Cody Campbell, Summerville, Ore.
$66,725
33.
Beau Hill, West Glacier, Mont.
$66,473
34.
Harve Stewart, Stephenville, Texas
$60,672
35.
Travis Sellers, Wentzville, Mo.
$58,147
36.
Luke Snyder, Raymore, Mo.
$57,407
37.
Kasey Hayes. Liberal, Kan.
$56,838
38.
Stormy Wing, Dalhart, Texas
$52,264
39.
Jason O'Hearn, Rothbury, Australia
$51,311
40.
Dustin Elliott, North Platte, Neb.
$50,226
Five Alternates (Money Earned)
1.
Caleb Sanderson, Kissimmee, Fla.
$47,685
2.
Zack Brown, North Shore, Hawaii
$46,775
3.
Cord McCoy, Ada, Okla.
$44,389
4.
Jared Farley, Kempsey, Australia
$43,193
5.
Robson Aragao, Aracaju, Brazil
$40,996
World Finals Event Winner
The Built Ford Tough World Finals event winner is determined by the highest aggregate score after all rounds of competition at the annual event in Las Vegas.
Year
Winner, Hometown
Money Earned
2009
J.B. Mauney, Mooresville, N.C.
$348,000
2008
Robson Palermo, Rio Branco, Brazil
$321,000
2007
Wiley Petersen, Fort Hall, Idaho
$278,450
2006
L.J. Jenkins, Texico, N.M.
$288,567
2005
Guilherme Marchi, Leme, Brazil
$298,017
2004
Mike Lee, Decatur, Texas
$313,300
2003
Jody Newberry, Ada, Okla.
$265,566
2002
J.W. Hart, Overbrook, Okla.
$286,500
2001
Luke Snyder, Raymore, Mo.
$264,241
2000
Tater Porter, Kenansville, Fla.
$274,738
1999
Ty Murray, Stephenville, Texas
$263,283
1998
Reed Corder, Melvin, Texas
$172,200
1997
Troy Dunn, Queensland, Australia
$158,711
1996
Ronny Kitchens, Kemp, Texas
$130,950
1995
Troy Dunn, Queensland, Australia
$56,975
About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR)
The PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 100 million viewers annually watch over 400 hours of primetime PBR programming on VERSUS, NBC, CBS and networks around the world. The PBR has awarded over $100 million in prize money and 20 riders have earned over $1 million including Justin McBride with $5.5 million, the most of any western-sports athlete in history. The PBR was nominated as 2010 Sports League of the Year at the Sports Business Journal Sports Business Awards alongside the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. Nearly two million fans attend elite Built Ford Tough Series and Touring Pro Division events each year. For more information on the PBR, go to www.pbr.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamPBR and http://twitter.com/TEAMPBR.
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