Finals weekend of the PBR’s Monster Energy Teams Challenge is here, and the qualifying teams have travelled to South Dakota to duke it out for the championship.
Mackay’s Ky Hamilton was outstanding for Team Ariat during the pool games, and he looks to be travelling ok since suffering multiple injuries on the final weekend of play. The 20-year-old finished his 4th of July run strong, putting together some excellent bull rides at events in North Dakota and Montana.
Check out the PBR Rundown for all the event times and coverage details.
PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge – Finals Weekend
The equation is simple this weekend – Ride to progress.
The format has changed slightly with four team members riding in the Round 1 of each matchup, and if your team loses, you play off for your finishing spot in the final match of the day.
Saturday – Playoffs Game 2 – Team Ariat v Team Can-Am
Team Ariat Captain Cooper Davis will stick with the same team that finished Division B with a 4-1-1 record. He will be supported by Ky Hamilton, Maverick Potter and Tyler Bingham.
Their opponents Team Can-Am went 3 and 3 in Division A competition and consists of Ezekiel Mitchell, Mauricio Moreira, Lane Lasley and Rafael Henrique Dos Santos.
Hamilton leads the team off in Round 1 against Jane Clark and Gene Owen’s Zorro. This bull is a tough draw for any rider with just two qualified rides recorded in over 40 trips. He will be around tot he right and into Hamilton’s hand, but he gets faster and faster as the clock progresses. Most top-ranked riders make it into the second half of the ride before the speed gets too much.
In the second round, Losing My Religion from Kruger Bucking Bulls awaits Hamilton. This bull has been ridden nine times from his 72 trips listed on ProBullStats, and that is mainly due to his inconsistent action. He can throw plenty of tricks at the rider but tends to prefer a clockwise spin with loads of up and down. Right-handers have a much better record against this bull than lefties, and I think these two can combine for an excellent score.
Here are the Saturday Daysheets.
Sunday – Playoffs Game 3 – Team Ariat v Team Cooper Tires
Team Ariat progressed through their clash with Team Can-Am yesterday to move into the semi-finals, but today they will face competition heavyweights Team Cooper Tires.
Team Cooper Tires breezed through Division A undefeated with a riding percentage of 50% and earnt a Wildcard Saturday bye. Check out some of these names – Jose Vitor Leme, Sage Kimzey, Keyshawn Whitehorse and Stetson Lawrence.
Ky Hamilton will face Hard & Fast in his Round 1 matchup. This bull is from Glover Cattle and D&H Cattle, and while we have seen scores posted on this bull in the past, we have not seen him covered in the PBR this season. He is a little whippy bull who will be around to the right, and he can make a mess of the rider in quick time.
In his second-round bout, Hamilton will climb aboard Paradigm Bull Company’s Zero Time. This bull had his first three career PBR trips in Vegas during the pool stage of this competition, and he went unridden. Hamilton would have got a good look at him when Maverick Potter stayed aboard for 7-seconds. From memory, he was to the left and had pretty good timing.
Here are the Semi Finals Daysheets.
Check back on Sunday afternoon when the Monday matchups are set for more coverage, and Stay tuned for the Weekend PBR Wrap-Up, which will be out on Monday morning following the conclusion of play.