Outlaw takes Brisbane Invitational

BRISBANE, Australia - The competition's second-youngest rider won the Brisbane Invitational, the second stop of the Australian Cup Series, at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Saturday night. 20-year-old Chase Outlaw took the event by a point and a half.

"We didn't give the people what they needed with riding in that last round," Outlaw said, "but I'll take it anyway."

No scores were posted in the championship round. Outlaw was one of only three riders, along with Australia's Mitch Paton and Brendon Clark, to cover two bulls in the night's competition.

Outlaw rode Rattle Ya Cage for 82.5 points in Round 1. He then put up 78 points on Balboa in the second round, before That's Gold undid him in the championship round. Outlaw won with a total of 160.5 points.

First out of the chutes in Round 1, Paton scored 81.5 points on Bowie. He locked in 77.5 points on his reride bull, Underbelly, in the second round, before Dark & Stormy thundered over Paton in the final round. Paton finished second with 159 points.

"It was a good pen of bulls... and they were bucking real good, too."

Australian favorite Clark - now a few dollars closer to being Australia's newest millionaire bull rider (second only to Troy Dunn) - put up 76.5 points on El Toroin the first round, before scoring 78.5 points on Ramland in the second. The raging bovine might not have done the business with Clark on his back, but Ramland gave Shane Simpson a run for his money, flattening the bullfighter to the ground.

Clark picked Barn Yard in the championship-round draft, but the bull proved to be too much, bucking Clark off in 3.61 seconds. Clark finished third with 155 points.

"It was a good pen of bulls - real good," said Dunn, the PBR Australia president and former PBR World Champion, "and they were bucking real good, too."

Only 15 scores were posted in the 52-out event.

"Ultimately, it comes down to match-ups," Dunn said. "Different bulls suit different blokes, and tonight it was the bulls that come up tops."

That's Gold, the top bucking bull at the Brisbane event for the past two years, pulled a hat-trick to the take the title for the third consecutive year.

Fighting to become the PBR Australian Champion for a third time, David Kennedy  failed to cover either of the two bulls he faced at the Brisbane event, but his lead is enough to keep him in the top position heading into the finals in Sydney, Australia, next weekend.

Closing the gap on Kennedy is 19-year-old Lachlan Richardson, who won the Brendon Clark Invitational last weekend in Newcastle, Australia. Richardson failed to score in Brisbane.

Richardson, who won the Built Ford Tough Series event in Uncasville, Conn., earlier this year, will likely qualify for the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas in October.

All but guaranteed to take the Australian Rookie-of-the-Year title, Richardson is close enough to Kennedy - even without a score in Brisbane - to be a contender for the Australian title. If he wins, he will be the first bull rider in Australian history to win both the PBR Rookie of the Year and PBR Australian Champion titles. 

Jason O'Hearn takes on Icemaker at the Brisbane Invitational.

Not to be counted out for the title, despite a banged-up right elbow and broken hand, is defending Australian Champion Jock Connolly, the competition's oldest rider at 34. Connolly sits in third heading into Sydney. 

Connolly put up the highest-scored ride of the Brisbane event with an 88-point effort on Dark Knights. After choosing War Chief in the championship-round draft, Connolly was asked how his broken hand felt. 

"Can't say how it feels exactly," Connolly said. "Not with kids here."

Among other BFTS regulars, Harve Stewart scored 79 points on Dizzy Spell in the first round, while Ben Jones put up 86 points on Jungle Rumble in Round 1. Skeeter Kingsolver matched the effort with 86 points on Cam Chain in Round 2.

Additionally, Zack Brown put up 85 points on Insane in the second round, while Jory Markiss scored 84.5 points on Rock Star.

The three-stop PBR Australian Cup Series heads to Sydney's Allphones Arena on Saturday for the Australian Finals. The finals winner secures an automatic berth to ride in the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas.

Next Events:
Australian Finals - July 21st at the Sydney Allphones Arena.

Event Results
Round 1:
Ben Jones, 86 points.
Sam O'Connor, 82.5 points.
Zane Lambert, 82.5 points.
Chase Outlaw, 82.5 points.
Mitch Paton, 81.5 points.
Harve Stewart, 79 points.
Sam Larsen, 78 points.
Brendon Clark, 76.5 points. 

Round 2:
Jock Connolly, 88 points.
Skeeter Kingsolver, 86 points.
Zack Brown, 85 points.
Jory Markiss, 84.5 points.
Brendon Clark, 78.5 points.
Chase Outlaw, 78 points.
Mitch Paton, 77.5 points.

Average:
1st: Chase Outlaw, 160.5 points.
2nd: Mitch Paton, 159 points.
3rd: Brendon Clark, 155 points.
4th: Jock Connolly, 88 points.
t5th: Skeeter Kingsolver, 86 points.
t5th: Ben Jones, 86 points.
7th: Zack Brown, 85 points.
8th: Jory Markiss, 84.5 points.
t9th: Zane Lambert, 82.5 points.
t9th: Sam O'Connor, 82.5 points.
11th: Harve Stewart, 79 points.
12th: Sam Larsen, 78 points.