By Kacie Albert
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – After a nearly nine-month hiatus from competition, the elite PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada Cup Series returned in momentous fashion in Lethbridge, Alberta. The nation’s finest kept the raucous crowd inside ENMAX Centre on the edge of their seats for the two-day South Country Co-op Showdown, presented by VisitLethbrige.com. Backed by a monstrous 90-point ride in the championship round, two-time PBR Canada Champion Zane Lambert (Ponoka, Alberta) clinched the season-launch event victory, catapulting to the No. 1 rank in the race for the 2021 PBR Canada Championship, and accompanying $50,000 bonus.
Lambert began the tour stop in dominant fashion, tying for the Round 1 win compliments of an 84-point effort atop Gandy (Skori Bucking Bulls).
As Championship Saturday got underway, however, the Ponoka native was unable to continue his hot streak, dispatched by Bob Rock (Skori Bucking Bulls) in a quick 1.84 seconds.
With his opening-round score enough to secure his spot in the championship round, Lambert drafted a familiar opponent in reigning PBR Canada Bull of the Year Catch My Drift (Two Bit Bucking Bulls/K Rose Ranch). In June, the veteran Canuck delivered the first 90-point ride of the Canadian season atop the striking bovine athlete, scored 91 points in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
Replicating his past success, Lambert once again matched the bull jump-for-jump, making the requisite 8 for an event-best 90 points in Lethbridge.
For his efforts, Lambert netted a critical 85.5 national points, catapulting him from No. 9 to No. 1 in the race for the 2021 PBR Canada Championship. The 35-year-old now leads No. 2 Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta) by a mere 1.34 points.
Should Lambert earn the national title in 2021, he would tie three-time Champion Aaron Roy (Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan) for most Canadian Championships won by one rider in league history. Lambert won the honor in 2013 and 2017, while Roy was the top Canadian in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
Callum Miller (Warwick, Queensland, Australia) was second, earning 71 national points.
In Round 1, Miller was one of three riders to tie for the round victory, recording his 84-point score atop Finning JB Muley (Flying Four Bucking Bulls).
The Australian sensation, however, was bested in Round 2, sent to the ground in a swift 2.07 seconds by Edge of Tomorrow (Vold Rodeo/Robinson).
For his final animal athlete opponent, Miller elected to climb aboard Gifted (Vold Rodeo), a decision which paid dividends. Remaining centered despite a rocky start to his championship-round trip, Miller outlasted Gifted, reaching the whistle and earning an 89-point score.
Miller’s silver finish allowed him to climb from No. 16 to No. 4 in the national standings, now trailing No. 1 Lambert by 20 points.
Seeking history of his own in 2021, should Miller earn the season’s national title, he would become the first Australian PBR Canada Champion in league history.
Garrett Green (Meeting Creek, Alberta) was third, going 2-for-3 to earn 58 national points.
The home province hopeful was flawless on Championship Saturday, riding Sam Crow (Flying High Rodeo Co.) for 84 points in Round 2 and Tractorland’s Pound Sand (Wild Hoggs/Corey Chmelnyk) for 87.5 points in the championship round.
Green is now ranked No. 7 in Canada, 39 points behind No. 1 Lambert.
Competing in just the second PBR Canada Cup Series event of his career, Griffin Smeltzer (Claresholm, Alberta) tied for fourth with Lonnie West(Cadogan, Alberta), reaching a crucial career milestone along the way.
Rebounding from a 3.53-second buckoff dealt to him by Devils Boy (Two Bit Bucking Bulls) in Round 1, Smeltzer earned his position in the final round courtesy of his 79.5-point score aboard Duke Ka Boom (Flying Four Bucking Bulls) in the second round.
Remaining electric, Smeltzer selected a bull capable of elevating him to his career-first PBR event win – 2018 PBR Canada Bull of the Year Happy Camper (Two Bit Bucking Bulls).
While the 21-year-old fell just short of the win, he achieved yet another important goal in any bull rider’s career– his first 90-point ride in PBR competition. Reaching the necessary 8 aboard the “Bucking Sensation from the Two Bit Nation,” Smeltzer tied for the championship round win via a 90-point score.
Smeltzer’s 2-for-3 showing netted him 43.5 points. He remained No. 8 in the national standings, now 40.5 points behind No. 1 Lambert.
For West, who was the lone rider to deliver a score in both Round 1 and Round 2, he exited ENMAX Centre having earned 46 national points.
West entered the championship round atop the leaderboard after riding Shameless (Vold Rodeo/Prescott) for 83.5 points in Round 1 and topping Round 2 courtesy of his 86-point score on Double Major (Wild Hoggs/Corey Chmelnyk).
The Albertan favorite, however, was unable to conclude the event with a score, bucked off by Finning Lil Shorty (Flying Four Bucking Bulls) in 3.72 seconds in the championship round.
West is now ranked No. 6 in the battle for the 2021 PBR Canada Championship, up one position after travelling to Lethbridge No. 7 in the country. He trails the top position by 37 points.
In the bull pen, Happy Camper and Hanna Motors Winston Bruce (Skori Bucking Bulls) tied for the high-marked bull of the event honor, each registering 44.5 points in the championship round.
Happy Camper earned the marks when he teamed with Smeltzer for the 90-point score, while Hanna Motors Winston Bruce logged the points when he bucked off Brock Radford (De Winton, Alberta) in 2.87 seconds in the championship round.
Following a more-than-one-month break, the 2021 PBR Canada Sup Series will travel to Grande Prairie, Alberta and Revolution Place for the PBR Grande Prairie BuckWild on October 1-2. Action will get underway on both Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. MDT.
Stay tuned in to PBRCanada.com and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Canada), Twitter (@PBRCanada), and Instagram (@PBRCanada) for the latest results, news, stats and more.
PBR Canada Cup Series
PBR South Country Co-op Showdown, presented by VisitLethbridge.com
ENMAX Centre – Lethbridge, Alberta
(Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
- Zane Lambert, 84-0-90-174.00-85.5 Points.
- Callum Miller, 84-0-89-173.00-71 Points.
- Garrett Green, 0-84-87.5-171.50-58 Points.
- Lonnie West, 83.5-86-0-169.50-46 Points.
(tie). Griffin Smeltzer, 0-79.5-90-169.50-43.5 Points.
- Micheal Ostashek, 0-79.5-87-166.50-18.5 Points.
- Cody Coverchuk, 0-0-87-87.00-8.5 Points.
- Brock Radford, 84-0-0-84.00-15 Points.
- Logan Biever, 81.5-0-0-81.50-6 Points.
- Cole Young, 0-81-0-81.00-10 Points.
Jared Parsonage, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Buttar, 0-0-0-0.00
Ashton Sahli, 0-0-0-0.00
Aaron Roy, 0-0-0-0.00
Weston Davidson, 0-0-0-0.00
Riley Gagnon, 0-0-0-0.00
Shay Marks, 0-0-0-0.00
Tim Lipsett, 0-0-0-0.00
Chad Hartman, 0-0-0-0.00
Cawl Braithwaite, 0-0-0-0.00
Nicholas Klinck, 0-0-0-0.00
Blake Smith, 0-0-0-0.00
2021 PBR Canada National Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings)
- Zane Lambert, 9, 0, 3, 122.00, $8,049.89
- Nick Tetz, 17, 2, 7, 120.66, $12,710.48
- Cody Coverchuk, 13, 2, 6, 106.50, $9,604.76
- Callum Miller, 10, 1, 3, 102.00, $5,891.94
- Jared Parsonage, 11, 3, 3, 87.00, $9,927.99
- Lonnie West, 7, 1, 3, 85.00, $6,155.96
- Garrett Green, 4, 1, 1, 83.00, $3,741.22
- Griffin Smeltzer, 12, 0, 4, 81.50, $5,087.63
- Dakota Buttar, 14, 0, 6, 79.33, $8,746.67
- Tanner Eno, 9, 1, 3, 49.50, $5,393.36
- Micheal Ostashek, 13, 0, 3, 49.50, $3,394.28
- Ashton Sahli, 19, 0, 2, 48.50, $7,030.79
- Cole Young, 2, 0, 1, 28.33, $2,635.74
- Logan Biever, 8, 0, 1, 25.50, $2,121.09
- Aaron Roy, 11, 0, 1, 19.83, $1,807.74
- Tyler Craig, 12, 0, 1, 19.83, $2,016.87
- Brock Radford, 7, 0, 0, 15.00, $550.00
- Chad Hartman, 4, 0, 1, 12.00, $937.50
- Wacey Finkbeiner, 7, 0, 1, 6.00, $783.36
- Todd Chotowetz, 5, 0, 1, 4.00, $535.50
- Weston Davidson, 7, 0, 1, 4.00, $482.46
- Dawson Shannon, 10, 0, 0, 3.00, $359.04
- Dayton Johnston, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Tim Lipsett, 9, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Shay Marks, 11, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Fabian Dueck, 8, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Wyatt Gleeson, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Coy Robbins, 6, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Riley Gagnon, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Cawl Braithwaite, 4, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Blake Smith, 9, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Nicholas Klinck, 5, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Landon Schmidt, 4, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Tanner Skene, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Eric O’Flynn, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Ethan Schultz, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Wyatt Laughlin, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Cooper Zur, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- William Barrows, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Zane Tully, 2, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
- Billy West, 1, 0, 0, 0.00, $0.00
