BALTIMORE, Maryland – Kansas bull rider Kasey Hayes didn’t really mind not winning a round until the very end in the PBR’s Baltimore Invitational this weekend.
Hayes put up very respectable scores in both rounds but neither was enough to take the round. That is, until he got to the short-go,
In the end, it all came down to consistency, and one final white-hot ride. When the dust settled after the final ride of the championship round it was Hayes claiming the event title and the prize money to go with it.
Even as rider after rider failed to steal the victory from Hayes’ grasp, it seemed Kasey had the hardest time believing it. Several times he was in the process of climbing off the shark-cage in the center of the arena, ready to surrender the lead, only to be called back.
“It feels great to come out and ride great on the first event out,” Hayes said after the win. “Especially after I haven’t been on a bull for a while.”
Hayes earned the check, event win and the number one spot in the 2009 PBR title race by putting up three solid scores in the two-day event. Hayes finished 13th in round one Friday night, with 87 points on Chief of Staff (Chad Berger/Julie Rosen). On Saturday, he put up 85.75 points in round two, riding Walk the Line (Berger/Struve), finishing 11th in that round.
That left him sitting eighth in the standing heading into the short-go. As all the championship rounds this year will be done as a draft, Hayes picked eighth, and took El Presidente (Robinson/Broken N-N/Skyhawk Rugs). His 92 point ride gave him the win in the round and sealed up the event for him, with a point total of 264.75.
Hayes was one of four riders to start the season by covering all three of their bulls. Second in the average was Colorado’s Kody Lostroh, with 264.5. Lostroh rode Double S Little A (Williams/Mucherino) in round two for 86.25 points, splitting 9th and 10th in that round, then, picking third, took Evil Forces (Berger/Struve) in the short-go, putting up 88.5 points. That was enough for 5th in that round and second in the event average.
A pair of Brazilians made up the other two riders that covered all three bulls this weekend. Valdiron de Oliveira finished third in the event, with 263.75 points. He rode Black Label (Mark Reed) in round two for 85.75 points, and then scored 90 points on Bad Blood (Berger/Struve) in the short-go. Oliveira paid the price, however, when he got his head slammed at the end of his ride, and had to be assisted out of the arena.
Newly crowned PBR world champion Guilherme Marchi is still showing the form that won him the title, and finished 4th in the event average. He split 13th and 14th in the second round, riding Wreaking Havoc (Jeff Robinson/Anchor Bull Co.) for 85.5. That sent him into the championship round in 12th place, but a 91.25 point ride on Say I Won’t Gunner (Berger/Struve) moved him up in the standings.
The only other qualified ride in the championship round was by Cord McCoy, with 89.75 points on Blue Boy (C Berger/Roger Ward). McCoy came into Saturday night’s rounds with no score, but made the short-go by earning 88.25 points on Chance (Teague Bucking Bulls LLC) in round two. McCoy started his season strong, finishing 5th in the event.
After taking a lead with a round one win, Travis Briscoe put up 87.5 points in round two on The Iceman (C Berger/Denny Hawks). Picking first in the short-go draft, Briscoe chose Copperhead Slinger (Berger/Struve), a bull he scored 95 points on in January 2008. The bull won this year’s matchup, bucking Briscoe off at the 7-second mark, and Briscoe finished the event in 6th place.
Robson Palermo also followed up his round one ride with an 87.25 pointer on The Rookie (Davis/DX3). He bucked off Deja Blue in the championship round at 6.1 seconds, and finished the event in 7th place with 176.25 points.
Eighth in the event was Nick Landreneau, with 175.25 points. He rode Hard Copy (Williams/Mucherino) for 88.5 points in round two, but bucked off Scaredy Cat (Berger/Hawks) in the short-go at the 2.8 second mark.
JB Mauney finished 9th, when he was unable to make the 8-second mark on Chicken on a Chain (Robinson/Tedesco/Larry the Cable Guy/Broken N-N) in the championship round, after scoring 85.5 on Denny Crane (Berger/Struve/Rosen) in round two. He finished the weekend with 175 points.
With 174 points, Mike White rounded out the top 10 this weekend. White rode Barn Stormer (Teague) for 86.5 in round two, but fell just short, at 7.4 seconds, on War Zone (Jeff Robinson) in the short-go.
Also making the championship round were:
In 11th, Nebraskan Dustin Elliott, with 172.25 points. Elliott scored 86.5 points in round two on Frank The Tank (John & Lacey Berger/C. Struve), then bucking off Raisin’ McCain (C Berger/Struve) in the short go;
12th, fan favorite Ross Coleman, with 170.75 points. Coleman scored 84.25 points in round two on Red River Bob (Davis/Mayo), then took on 2008 Bull of the Year, the unridden Bones. Bones continued his unridden streak, bucking off the Oregon cowboy at the 4.4 second mark.
13th was 2004 World Champion Mike Lee. Lee tied Coleman in round two, riding Cooper (Berger/Struve/Rosen) for 84.25 points, then lost to I’m a Gangster (Teague) at the 2.6 second mark in the short go.
14th in the average was two time world champion Chris Shivers. Shivers did not, however, ride in the short-go, after he was injured in the second round. It was reported Shivers suffered facial injuries while pulling another rider’s bullrope. While no official report was given by the end of the event, Shivers was seen leaving the arena with his nose packed, as if broken. While Shivers appeared to be in pain after his round two ride, a 3.2 second trip on Rebound (Jeff Robinson), the injury didn’t occur then.
Brian Herman, the 38-year old veteran, was 15th in the event, on the strength of his round two win. Herman scored 88.75 points to win round two, literally jumping for joy in the arena after riding Big Coyote (Jeff Robinson). Herman surprised arena announcers when, in the short-go, he took the always tough Pandora’s Box (C Berger/Winston Lowe). Pandora won the matchup, in 2.7 seconds.
With Shivers not competing in the championship round, Shane Proctor took the 15th spot, and was matched with Sky Hawk Cut a Rug (J Robinson/Broken N-N/Kenny Jack), but Proctor slapped the bull at the 7.5 second mark. He finished the event tied for 16th through 18th place, with 87.75 points, matched by LJ Jenkins and Zack Brown.
After dislocating his shoulder during Friday night’s round, Kolt Donaldson did not compete in Saturday’s round two.
As the Baltimore Invitational wrapped up, the first event of the PBR’s 2009 season, 32 riders had managed to put at least one qualified ride in the books. The next stop is a three-dayer in Madison Square Garden, in New York City, starting Friday, Jan. 9. That stop will include a bull-draft for round two and the championship round.
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