Thompson Claims First Canadian Title
11/19/2011
SASKATOON – Tyler Thompson claimed his first Canadian National title tonight in Saskatoon. He was one of 4 cowboys who covered all three bulls in the two day event. Thompson earned a $10 thousand bonus for winning the Canadian National Championship, which brings his season earnings over $80 thousand dollars.
"It’s been a long road to becoming the Canadian champion," Thompson said. " The title has eluded me for 6 years, and winning is not only a huge weight off my shoulders but an honor."
Thompson, who is fresh off a trip to Las Vegas for the PBR World Finals finished the year with 7,206 points, Just 980 points ahead of Zane Lambert. He finished third in the Canadian Finals event average with 255.5 points and earned $15,414 from the event itself.
Dusty Ephrom won the Canadian Finals event title covering 3 bulls to earn 257 points, earning $14,934.50, which gave him $52,846 for the season. Ephrom finished 1230.5 points behind Tyler Thompson in the National Championship standings.
Thompson won the Built Ford Tough Championship Round with 91.5 points on former Daisy Rookie of the Year Bull Unabomber (Eno/Kubinchak Bucking Bulls). His score was the highest-marked ride at that Canadian Finals.
Luke Snyder, who led after each of the first two rounds, bucked off in the Built Ford Tough championship round and ended up fifth in the average. Snyder took home just over $7 thousand for his performance.
Rounding out the top 5 were Harve Stewart of Stephenville TX who finished second in the average after riding 2 bulls for 256.5 points and Jordan Hupp of Cheyenne WY who earned finished the event with 252.5 points.
After capturing his fourth consecutive Glen Keeley Award, presented to the Canadian bull rider who earns the most money during the season, Aaron Roy only stayed on 1 bull, crushing his hopes of claiming the Canadian Finals title.
The Canadian National Finals, which drew nearly 10,000 fans through two days at the Credit Union Centre, is the final stop on the Canadian Cup Series tour, with a total purse of $80 thousand, including the $10 thousand bonus to the National Champion.
2011 Professional Bull Riders Canadian Championship
1 Tyler Thompson 7206
2 Zane Lambert 6226
3 Dusty Ephrom 5975.5
4 Ty Patten 5389
5 Ty Pozzobon 5104
6 Chad Besplug 4169.5
7 Aaron Roy 4092.5
8 Tanner Byrne 4080.5
9 Matt Triplett 4027.5
10 Jesse Torkelson 3289
2011 Professional Bull Riders Canadian Finals
Nov. 18-19 at Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon
1 Dusty Ephrom 257
2 Harve Stewart 256.5
3 Tyler Thomson 255.5
4 Jordan Hupp 252.5
5 Luke Snyder 177
6 Jared Farley 172
7 Jesse Torkelson 169.5
8 Matt Bohon 168.5
9 Chad Besplug 165.5
10 Mike Lee 165
11 Jeston Mead 163
12 Aaron Roy 89.5
13 Scott Shiffner 87
14 Vince Northrop 86
15 Reese Cates 84.5
16 Beau Brooks 84.5
About Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Canada:
Dollars earned at Canadian events counts towards qualification to the elite PBR Canadian Cup National Finals. Upon the conclusion of the Finals, the bull rider with the most regular season and Finals points is crowned the PBR Canadian National Champion. Money won at all Canadian events counts toward qualifying on the prestigious PBR Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS). At the end of the BFTS season, the top-ranked PBR Canada rider will compete at the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas, NV. For more information on PBR Canada, go to www.pbrcanada.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pbr.canada and Twitter at http://twitter.com/PBRCanada.
About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR):
The PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 100 million viewers annually watch over 400 hours of primetime PBR programming on VERSUS, NBC, CBS and networks around the world. The PBR has awarded over $100 million in prize money and 20 riders have earned over $1 million, including Justin McBride with $5.5 million - the most of any western-sports athlete in history. The PBR was nominated as 2010 Sports League of the Year at the Sports Business Journal Sports Business Awards, alongside the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. Nearly two million fans attend Built Ford Tough Series and Touring Pro Division events each year. For more information on the PBR, go to www.pbr.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamPBR and http://twitter.com/TEAMPBR
© PBR Canada, Inc. 2011