ANAHEIM, Calif. – There is not a swamp in the middle of the Honda Center this weekend, but there may just be an alligator lurking and ready to take a big chunk out of Jess Lockwood’s lead on the world No. 1 ranking.
The lion in the world title race Friday night during Round 1 of the Anaheim Invitational was Jose Vitor Leme following the No. 2-ranked bull rider’s 14th round win of the season with 88.25 points aboard Sam I Am.
However, No. 3 Chase Outlaw is very much in the mix for his fourth event win of the season when Round 2 gets underway Saturday night.
Outlaw took care of business during Round 1, displaying veteran patience on the back of Game Changer and riding the bovine athlete for 85.75 points.
“That’s what I was just telling Brennon (Eldred),” Outlaw said. “I was like, ‘Man, I was just in the zone.’ I’m like, ‘I was calm all the way around in the box and everything.’
“I just did my job. Just praise God, man.”
The ride will not be part of any Outlaw highlight reels, but it is a ride a World Champion has to make during a title run.
“He is riding him good,” 2002 World Finals event winner J.W. Hart said on RidePass. “You think he is going to get down there a little bit, then he sits up and does it exactly like he is supposed to. Then the bull takes off right there at the end. All you can do is ride the cattle that they draw you and let the judges worry about the rest of it and let us talk about it.”
Outlaw, who leads the PBR with 35 rides on the Unleash The Beast, finished Round 1 tied for fifth place with Kurt Shephard (85.75 points on Lil Bit Crazy) to pick up 22.5 points toward the world standings.
That may not seem like a lot, but compound that with Lockwood’s 7.9-second buckoff against White Dynamite and Outlaw can possibly leave Anaheim back on top of the world standings with an event win.
Outlaw trails Lockwood by 377.5 points in the world standings.
The Hamburg, Arkansas, bull rider has drawn Bringin Trouble (0-1, UTB) for Round 2 Saturday night. Outlaw has not ridden three bulls at an Unleash The Beast event since winning the Caterpillar Classic in Kansas City, Missouri, in March.
The Anaheim Invitational concludes Saturday night. Fans can watch Round 2 of the event Sunday on CBS Sports Network at 1 p.m. ET and then the conclusion of the event on CBS national television at 5 p.m. ET.
Outlaw agreed that the Top 4 riders’ success in the arena every week is forcing each of them to elevate their game as the season dwindles toward a conclusion.
No. 4 Joao Ricado Vieira rode Spotted Panther for 83.75 points and finished Round 1 in 11th place.
“Oh yeah,” Outlaw said. “I’m sure that it does.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko