Proctor world’s No. 1 bull rider with Anaheim win

Going 4-for-4 at the Built Ford Tough Series LiftMaster Invitational at the Honda Center, Shane Proctor (Mooresville, N.C.) won his second event of the 2013 season and successfully ousted Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil) from the top spot in the world standings.

Proctor is a 2003 Lake Roosevelt High School graduate.

Proctor was the only rider to cover all four of his bulls, and the only rider to successfully make the whistle in the Built Ford Tough Championship Round, where he put up a score of 89.25 points on Buckmaster (Wentz Bucking Bulls). He finished the weekend with 350.25 points, the highest total that a rider has accumulated in a single event so far this season. This marks the first year Proctor has won more than one event. It is his fifth-career BFTS victory.

“Buckmaster is a bull I had last week, so I knew him really well,” Proctor said. “I was thankful to have positioned myself to have the first pick in the championship draw. I drew really well all week and that’s half of the battle – draw well and stay on your bulls.”

Competing as an alternate, Proctor won the Winston-Salem Invitational in January. One month later, he now ranks as the No. 1 rider in the world. This is the first time someone other than Alves has led the world standings since August of 2012. It also marks the first time an American has led since L. J. Jenkins (Springfield, Mo.) sat in the top spot in August.

Proctor is taking his new lead in stride. “We still have 20 events left to this season,” he said. “It’s a long road. Silvano’s won [the World Championship] twice. He’s a seasoned vet. There are guys chasing you like J.B. Mauney, and lots of other really good riders on the Built Ford Tough Series, so my goal is just to stay on as many bulls as I can and get as many high scores as I can. Hopefully, in the end, it will work out. There’s still a long road ahead.”

Proctor’s $47,465 check is a part of more than $500,000 that has been awarded to the winners in Anaheim over the past 16 years, while more than $2 million worldwide has been given throughout the PBR in just this year alone.

Veteran Luke Snyder (Raymore, Mo.) finished second in Anaheim, covering three of four bulls for a combined 258 points, moving to No. 15 in the world standings. He won $14,708.

Anaheim is the sixth of 26 stops in 18 states on the Built Ford Tough Series. The season will conclude at the Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 23-27. The PBR World Champion 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.