On September 11-13 2015, the world’s premiere bull riding circuit will return to Springfield, Missouri, for the PFI Western Invitational presented by Bass Pro Shops one of the most popular stops on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS).
Missouri State University’s JQH Arena will host the Top 35 bull riders in the world for the seventh consecutive year and experience non-stop, nail-biting, edge of your seat excitement when the “toughest men on dirt” battle with 2000-pound opponents through the most harrowing 8 seconds in sports.
All the bull riding action begins at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11; 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12; and 4:50 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13.
“We are very excited to return to Springfield and help PFI Western celebrate its 40th anniversary with the PBR,” PBR Chairman and CEO Jim Haworth said. “The fans in this community are incredibly supportive with their gracious hospitality and their exuberant enthusiasm at each event. Our riders enjoy riding in such atmospheres and look forward to returning to Springfield.”
Tickets for the three-day event are on sale now and can be purchased at JQH Arena Box Office, PFI Western Store, Missouri State Tickets or by calling (417) 836-7678, 1-888-476-7649 or PFI Western Store at (417) 889-2668. Prices range from $15 to $110.
New this year is the 3-day pass on select seats, providing a $35 savings to attendees. In addition to a discount on tickets, this pass also includes a PFI Western gift card and a $10 PBR merchandise voucher.
This year, defending PFIWestern.com Invitational champion L.J. Jenkins hopes to return to Springfield to not only attempt to win back-to-back titles, but also compete in his hometown before friends and family.
Also presently scheduled to compete are the best of the best in the world, including Holt, Missouri’s Brady Sims, reigning and three-time PBR World Champion Silvano Alves, fan favorites J.B. Mauney, the 2013 World Champion; Guilherme Marchi, the 2008 World Champion; Mike Lee, the 2004 World Champion; Matt Triplett, Reese Cates, rookie sensation Kaique Pacheco and determined veterans Ben Jones, Sean Willingham and Kasey Hayes.
Fans will get to enjoy all of the Top 35 bull riders Friday, Saturday and Sunday, riding one bull each. Following Round 3 on Sunday, the riders with the 15 highest cumulative scores will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round where they will attempt to ride one more bull. The overall event winner will be the rider who has acquired the most event points throughout the weekend.
More than $140,000 will be on the line in Springfield, as well as valuable points towards the overall PBR World Championship worth $1 million.
The PFIWestern.com Invitational is the 23rd of 27 events on the 2015 PBR Built Ford Tough Series. The season culminates with the Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 21-25. The finals will crown the 2015 PBR World Champion, who will receive the coveted championship buckle, a $1 million bonus and a new pickup truck from Ford, the title sponsor of the Built Ford Tough Series. Tickets sales and additional information about the World Finals can be found at www.worldfinals.pbr.com.
The PBR Built Ford Tough Series is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network – the home of the PBR - and networks around the world. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer.
