Las Vegas Weekly

November 9, 2009 · 10:36 AM

Photo Galleries: Lostroh wins PBR world title, Mauney World Finals event

By Robin Leach

Kody Lostroh on the final day of the 2009 Professional Bull Riders World Finals at Thomas & Mack Center on Nov. 8, 2009.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

In the “toughest sport on Earth,” the final results -- as it all came down to the final seconds -- couldn’t have been closer if a Hollywood screenwriter had crafted the scenario.

Colorado cowboy Kody Lostroh won the 2009 Professional Bull Riders world champion title at our Thomas & Mack Center in what was the tightest race in the 16 -year history of the PBR. Kody picked up the gold belt buckle, more than $500,000 in winnings and the $1 million bonus payday from Ford Built Tough Trucks. And this was all despite being thrown from a bull in the closing seconds of the final round, his one and only fall while in Las Vegas for the 2009 PBR World Finals.

Hard on Kody’s spurs throughout and runner-up for a second consecutive year was North Carolina cowboy J.B. Mauney, who as a consolation prize won the 2009 PBR World Finals event title. J.B. also became the only rider of the event to successfully ride every one of his bulls past the 8-second scoring mark in all eight rounds.

With only less than three points separating the two rugged riders, auditors were brought in to go through the judges’ scores not once but twice to ensure that there’d be no challenge or controversy over the down-to-the-wire results.

Our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue captured all the excitement of the final day yesterday, which kicked off with the national anthem sung by Mandalay Bay’s The Lion King cast member Kissy Simmons. Glenn Pinkerton of the Las Vegas News Bureau also was on hand for the winner’s kiss and gold belt buckle and trophy presentation.

It was a full arena for the crowning of superstar cowboy Kody. Over the eight rounds of the World Finals, he won two rounds in a row and shared victory in another round with four other riders. Additionally, Kody finished second in the overall average after riding seven of eight bulls for a total of 624 points. He was thrown off the final bull in Round 8 when he lost the rope a fraction of a second under the 8-second mark. Overall, Kody amassed 16,640 points from the 2009 season and earned $1,601,625 in prize money in being crowned world champion.

“It’s really a dream come true for me,” Kody said in the post-event press conference. “I didn’t have a clue what the points were, and, to be honest with you, I didn’t care. I was still there to do my job. I was planning on riding that bull no matter if I had it won or I didn’t have it won.”

J.B. accumulated 715 points for the PBR World Finals win and won two rounds, including the last Built Ford Tough Championship Round with a near perfect 93.75-point ride on Black Pearl. He collected the $250,000 check for winning the average, finishing the year with 16,046 points, just 594 points behind Kody, and brought his winnings to $742,208 for the 2009 season.

“I came out here with the mindset to ride every bull I got on, and it worked out. I drew right, and I couldn’t have asked for any better bulls,” J.B. said. “That’s what every guy dreams of ... is winning the World Finals and winning the world (title). I’ll try next year. I don’t think I’m going to retire this year. Kody rode awesome. I did all I could, and he came out on top, and he’s the world champion. He’s the best bull rider in the world.”

No rest, though, for the weary and the wounded. Although the 2009 season has now come to a close in Las Vegas, the 2010 season kicks off just days before Thanksgiving in Atlanta, with the world’s best riders competing for $500,000 in prize money and PBR’s second-largest payout.

PBR will return to Las Vegas for the 2010 World Finals next November. Also during the PBR’s final championship events yesterday, Rossi Ralenkotter, president of the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, announced that the 2010 PBR World Cup will be held in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center from April 16-18 in conjunction with the Academy of Country Music Awards. The World Cup has previously been held in Australia, Mexico and Brazil.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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