RAPID CITY, S.D. – He’s got the name, and he’s determined to win the title that goes with it.
After his performance Sept. 23, bareback rider Richmond Champion took the lead in the average at the 2020 Gold Buckle Beer ProRodeo Tour Finale in Rapid City, S.D., while searching for his first world championship.
Champion is ninth in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $62,451 separating him and leading bareback rider Tim O’Connell, but that lead can disappear at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, which will be held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Dec. 3-12.
In Rapid City, Champion is sitting in fourth in the first round after an 85-point ride on Three Hills Rodeo’s Big Show. In the second round Wednesday, Champion’s 86.5-point ride on Brookman Rodeo’s Continental Drift has him in second in the round and atop the average with 171.5 points on two head.
The next two nights will feature the other 12 cowboys in each event who qualified for the Tour Finale. The semifinals and finals are Saturday.
Other first-round event leaders are steer wrestler Rowdy Parrott (7.8 seconds on two head); team ropers Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch (10.4 seconds on two head); saddle bronc rider Brody Cress (176.5 points on two head); tie-down roper Westyn Hughes (16.1 seconds on two head); barrel racer Brittney Barnett (32.42 seconds on two runs); and bull rider Stetson Wright (87 points on one head).
