The top 45 riders on the Professional Bull Riders circuit open their World Finals on Friday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, with their eyes on a $1 million bonus.
Brazilian Guilherme Marchi is ranked No. 1 with a 1,679.5-point lead over Sean Willingham of Summerville, Ga. Riders can earn up to 6,500 points in the seven-day Finals format, with the world champion earning the big bonus.
Advertisement
Reigning world champ Justin McBride of Elk City, Okla., is fifth and trails Marchi by 2,902.25 points. McBride, a former UNLV rodeo standout, won the season finale two weeks ago in Columbus, Ohio.
The first three rounds of the seven-day event are at Mandalay Bay before competition shifts to the Thomas & Mack Center for the final four days beginning Nov. 2.
After the first seven rounds, the field of 45 will be cut to the top 15 for the championship short go-round. ...
Each round will be televised on Versus (Cable 67). ...
The Dickies National Championship Bullfighting competition take place after each round at Mandalay Bay. ...
American Bucking Bull Inc. (ABBI) will have the World Bucking Bull Classic contest and sale on Monday and Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the South Point (formerly South Coast) Equestrian Center.
• PRO RODEO -- The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's regular season concludes with the Nov. 10-12 ProRodeo Tour Championships at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, after which the field will be set for the Nov. 30-Dec. 9 National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Logandale native Matt Shiozawa, ranked sixth in calf roping, qualified for the Dallas event. ...
A few of this year's near-certain NFR qualifiers will compete in the Canadian Finals Rodeo, including Logandale-based team ropers Randon and Jay Adams, ranked sixth and eighth, respectively, among PRCA headers and heelers.
While the Adams brothers did not qualify for the Dallas event, Dan Mortensen, Lee Graves and Glen O'Neill did but have opted to pursue Canadian titles. Graves and O'Neill are Canadians. ...
After Trevor Brazile saw Ryan Jarrett of Summerville, Ga., end Brazile's run of three straight PRCA world all-around championships in last year's NFR, the roper from Decatur, Texas, has come back with a vengeance.
Brazile already has won $247,152 in calf, team and steer roping to build a huge lead in the all-around.
Jarrett is third with $125,293, just behind veteran and three-time all-around champ Joe Beaver, who did not qualify for last year's NFR. Beaver is seventh as a team roping header and eighth in calf roping, and has won $127,530.
