Dakota Buttar Reclaims Canadian No. 1 Ranking After Sweeping Opening Two Rounds of 2019 PBR Canada Finals

As one of eight riders to go a perfect 2-for-2, Buttar erases a 32.49-point gap to enter the final day of the season-culminating event 457.51 points in front of now No. 2 Jared Parsonage

by Kacie Albert

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan – Amidst one of the tightest PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada Championship races in league history, the race amongst the nation’s 20 best bull riders heated up Friday evening following the opening two rounds of the 2019 PBR Monster Energy Canadian Finals, presented by Dakota Dunes Casino.

Entering the season-culminating event 32.49 points behind then No. 1 Jared Parsonage (Maple Creek, Saskatchewan), Dakota Buttar (Kindersley, Saskatchewan) was propelled back to the top of the national standings courtesy of a dominant 2-for-2 performance, now the top contender for the coveted title and accompanying $50,000 bonus.

The home province hopeful began the fourteenth edition of the PBR Canada Finals with a Round 1-best 86-point ride on Mish Mash (Vold Rodeo). The 8-second effort allowed the 27-year-old to overtake Parsonage for the top ranking in Canada. In Round 1, Parsonage was uncharacteristically bested by Finning Hou’s Deacon (Flying Four Bucking Bulls) in a swift 2.63 seconds.

Continuing the moment, Buttar then won Round 2 after he reached the 8-second buzzer atop Finning Young Trent (Flying Four Bucking Bulls) for 87.5 points.

Buttar’s top marks allowed him to collect a cumulative 500 national points. He now leads No. 2 Parsonage by 457.51 points ahead of the final night of competition for the 2019 season.

In Round 3, Buttar will attempt Canadian Bull of the Year contender Grey Tower III (Vold Rodeo). A familiar matchup, Buttar covered the bull for a massive 89.5 points in June to win his first of a league-best five Touring Pro Division events in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

While his Round 1 buckoff opened the door for Buttar to surpass him in the rankings, Parsonage earned 10 national points courtesy of his 83.5-point ride on Double Major (Wild Hoggs/Corey Chmelnyk) in Round 2.

Parsonage’s hunt for the 2019 PBR Canada Championship will continue in Round 3 when he attempts Thunder Road (Eno Bucking Bulls).

Buttar was also able to distance himself from No. 3 Shay Marks (Sunnybrook, Alberta) who he now leads by 920 points. Marks, who was announced to Team Canada for the 2020 PBR Global Cup USA prior to his first out in Saskatoon, went 1-for-2 on Friday night but failed to earn any points. He will attempt Firebeatz (Foley Bucking Bulls) in Round 3 as he looks to climb the event leaderboard, where he is currently sixteenth.

Logan Biever (Claresholm, Alberta) is second after his 2-for-2 performance in front of the electric crowd inside the SaskTel Centre netted him 250 national points.

After riding Throwin’ Shade (Flying High Rodeo Co.) for 85 points in Round 1, Biever covered Firebeatz (Foley Bucking Bulls) for 86.5 points in Round 2.

Biever is now ranked No. 13 in Canada after beginning the event No. 18, trailing Buttar by 2,209.58 points.

In Round 3, Biever drafted Kubota’s Summer Warrior (Wild Hoggs/Chmelnyk/Bryant). The two faced-off at the March Monster Energy Tour event in Calgary, however, Biever earned a re-ride after the bovine athlete fouled himself.

Young gun Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York), who recently became the youngest athlete in history to qualify for both the PBR World Finals and Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, honed in on the No. 1 ranking after concluding the first two rounds third in the aggregate.

His 8-second efforts were earned aboard Twist of Barbwire (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) for 83 points and Kubota’s Big Orange Tractor (Wild Hoggs Bucking Bulls) for 87 points, earning him 170 national points.

Swearingen remains the No. 4 ranked rider in Canada, now 987.08 points back of the top ranking. He will attempt Muddy Water (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle) in Round 3.

Seeking history, three-time PBR Canada Champion Aaron Roy (Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan) inched one step closer to his unprecedented fourth national title after going 2-for-2 in the first and second rounds of the 2019 PBR Canada Finals.

Fourth in the aggregate, Roy rode Playing Chicken (Vold Rodeo) for 84 points in Round 1. He then covered Time Well Spent (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) for 84.5 points in Round 2.

Roy, who remains No. 9 in the national standings, collected 120 national points and drafted a familiar opponent in Vertigo Spy (Vold Rodeo) in the third round. The Saskatchewan man and the bovine athlete first met in May at the Touring Pro Division event in Prince Albert when Roy reached the 8-second buzzer for 83.5 points.

Should Roy win the Finals, an event he was first victorious at in 2014, he would join Zane Lambert (Ponoka, Albert) as the only two athletes to have won the season-culminating event in multiple seasons. Lambert won the Canadian Finals in consecutive years in 2016 and 2017.

Rounding out the Top 5 was Thor Hoefer II (Priest River, Idaho) who netted 87.5 national points.

The American cowboy rode Shere Khan (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle) for 80.5 points and Uptown Funk (Vold Rodeo) for 86 points to rise from No. 24 to No. 20 in the Canadian national standings. Looking to improve to 3-for-3 on Saturday, his next opponent will be Kool Aid (R Saga Ranch).

Of the 20 competing riders, Brock Radford (De Winton, Alberta), Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington) and Todd Chotowetz (Major, Saskatchewan) also went 2-for-2. Radford and Kolbaba are tied for sixth, while Chotowetz is eighth in the event aggregate.

The 2019 PBR Monster Energy Canadian Finals, presented by Dakota Dunes Casino, will conclude with Round 3 and the championship round on Saturday, November 23. Action will get underway at 7:30 p.m. CST.

After all competing riders attempt one more bull each in Round 3, the Top 12 will return for the championship round where they will face one final bull in an effort to be crowned the 2019 PBR Canada Champion and earn the coveted $50,000 bonus. The Canadian Finals event winner will also collect $17,500.

Fans can relive all the action from Round 1 and Round 2 starting at 8:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, November 23.

PBR Canada Monster Energy Tour

2019 PBR Monster Energy Canadian Finals, presented by Dakota Dunes Casino

SaskTel Centre – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Dakota Buttar, 86-87.5-0-0-173.50-500 Points.
2. Logan Biever, 85-86.5-0-0-171.50-250 Points.
3. Daylon Swearingen, 83-87-0-0-170.00-170 Points.
4. Aaron Roy, 84-84.5-0-0-168.50-120 Points.
5. Thor Hoefer II, 80.5-86-0-0-166.50-87.5 Points.
6. Brock Radford, 82-84-0-0-166.00-30 Points.

(tie). Derek Kolbaba, 81.5-84.5-0-0-166.00-37.5 Points.

8. Todd Chotowetz, 80-82.5-0-0-162.50-2.5 Points.
9. Jake Lockwood, 0-86-0-0-86.00-87.5 Points.
10. Marcos Gloria, 85.5-0-0-0-85.50-150 Points.
11. Garrett Green, 84-0-0-0-84.00-87.5 Points.
12. Zane Lambert, 83.5-0-0-0-83.50-32.5 Points.

(tie). Jared Parsonage, 0-83.5-0-0-83.50-10 Points.

(tie). Jordan Hansen, 83.5-0-0-0-83.50-32.5 Points.

15. Jake Gardner, 0-82.5-0-0-82.50-2.5 Points.
16. Shay Marks, 0-81.5-0-0-81.50
17. Jackson Scott, 73.5-0-0-0-73.50

Lane Mellers, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Cody Casper, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Dayton Johnston, 0-0-0-0-0.00

2019 PBR Canada National Standings

(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings)

1. Dakota Buttar, 24, 5, 12, 3,215.83, $33,891.24
2. Jared Parsonage, 35, 2, 16, 2,758.32, $71,935.88
3. Shay Marks, 43, 1, 12, 2,295.83, $29,913.10
4. Daylon Swearingen, 9, 2, 6, 2,228.75, $27,298.39
5. Jordan Hansen, 17, 3, 8, 1,785.82, $25,115.98
6. Brock Radford, 25, 0, 10, 1,759.58, $26,418.03
7. Garrett Green, 10, 2, 5, 1,488.75, $30,180.81
8. Jake Gardner, 36, 1, 8, 1,452.50, $19,456.58
9. Aaron Roy, 28, 2, 5, 1,338.33, $18,830.88
10. Jackson Scott, 31, 0, 5, 1,133.33, $16,445.62
11. Zane Lambert, 30, 1, 6, 1,121.25, $29,393.17
12. Lonnie West, 23, 2, 5, 1,032.50, $13,807.00
13. Logan Biever, 31, 0, 5, 1,006.25, $9,355.57
14. Todd Chotowetz, 20, 2, 4, 915.00, $16,301.38
15. Jake Lockwood, 16, 2, 2, 855.83, $10,048.42
16. Coy Robbins, 25, 0, 5, 833.33, $9,611.89
17. Gage Gay, 3, 1, 2, 805.00, $8,075.85
18. Cody Casper, 20, 1, 3, 772.50, $9,822.15
19. Lane Mellers, 7, 1, 4, 731.66, $7,442.71
20. Thor Hoefer II, 19, 1, 4, 730.83, $7,881.27
21. Chase Outlaw, 6, 1, 3, 718.33, $25,785.61
22. Derek Kolbaba, 2, 1, 1, 717.50, $44,744.44
23. Marcos Gloria, 17, 0, 4, 713.33, $21,881.05
24. Jess Lockwood, 3, 2, 3, 675.00, $61,157.91
25. Dayton Johnston, 27, 0, 4, 649.58, $9,983.39
26. Aaron Kleier, 8, 0, 3, 626.25, $7,092.39
27. Brady Fielder, 9, 1, 2, 592.91, $5,547.22
28. Michael Lane, 2, 1, 1, 530.00, $6,373.70
29. Edgar Durazo, 4, 1, 2, 502.50, $6,072.32
30. Cole Young, 21, 0, 2, 434.16, $4,571.97
31. Kache Moosman, 11, 0, 3, 403.33, $5,012.87
32. Riley Gagnon, 7, 0, 1, 392.50, $4,539.85
33. Josh Frost, 2, 0, 2, 348.33, $3,419.13
34. Wyatt Gleeson, 23, 0, 2, 347.50, $3,321.34
35. Tanner Byrne, 7, 0, 2, 345.00, $6,099.51
36. Brennon Eldred, 1, 0, 1, 320.00, $7,744.44
37. Cody Nance, 5, 1, 1, 305.00, $6,246.41
38. Joe Frost, 3, 0, 1, 270.00, $4,981.79
39. Fabian Dueck, 28, 0, 2, 231.66, $2,362.89
40. Matt Triplett, 3, 0, 1, 213.75, $5,338.64
41. Klayton Lakevold, 15, 0, 1, 208.33, $1,984.89
42. Weston Hartman, 15, 0, 1, 202.50, $3,122.05
43. Wacey Finkbeiner, 12, 0, 1, 184.58, $7,376.81
44. Italo Aguilar Goncalves, 15, 0, 1, 172.50, $2,639.25
45. Will Purcell, 8, 0, 1, 167.50, $1,508.54