TULSA, Okla. (July 17, 2010) - For the first time in nearly a year, Zack Brown is smiling – and with good reason.
The 31-year-old said he woke Friday morning “in an outstanding mood,” and later parlayed that positive attitude into an opening-round win at the Express Classic in Tulsa, Okla.
After earning a re-ride option on Flyin’ Train, he covered Best Ever for a score of 88.5, to beat out Harve Stewart by a full point. Initially, it looked as though he had come down early, but as Brown said, “Even when I had to hit the replay button it couldn’t take me down.”
Despite a previously forgettable 2010 season, he added, “It’s always fun to make good bull rides. I’ve been missing being on the big shows here.”
Brown, who earned one of only nine qualified rides in the round, will have the first pick in the bull draft for Round 2 of the three-day event.
Rounding out the top scores from Round 1 were Stewart and Silvano Alves, who split second and third with 87.5 points each, followed by Sean Willingham, who scored 87 points.
Brown is coming off a career-best season last year, in which he won four Built Ford Tough Series events before straining his left groin to point that he had to doctor out of the PBR World Finals.
In spite of the injury, he still managed to finish eighth in the world standings – his only Top 10 finish since a sixth-place finish his rookie season in 2004 – but after missing the first two events of 2010, he labored through the next five before being cut.
“It’s great when everything’s clicking,” said Brown, who in hindsight added some perspective to what he’s gone through the past 10 months. “It’s a little disappointing to me that people want to talk about when things aren’t clicking for you, because it makes it a little harder mentally to get back on track.
“Mainly what I try to do is remember all the good bull rides and all the good things that are going on, acknowledge the stuff that’s not working, try and fix it and then completely forget about it.”
“I’m just happy to be here,” said Brown. “It’s been a long time and I probably had a little bit of a negative attitude about not being on tour, and it most likely got in the way of me getting back here sooner.”
Brown is hoping to have something to smile about Sunday evening.
In 2009, he had 13 Top 10 finishes, and this weekend, at the BOK Center, he’s hoping for his first of the 2010 season. His previous best finish came when he split 15th, 16th and 17th place in Sacramento, Calif.
“It’s one of those deals,” he said. “You never really understand it, but you know you have to stay positive.”
