No. 3 Sage Steele Kimzey Storms Out of the Chute with 90.50-Point Win at PBR World Finals

FORT WORTH, Texas — Well, sports fans, the gate flew open at Cowtown Coliseum and Sage Steele Kimzey came out riding like a man with a gold buckle in his sights.

The No. 3-ranked cowboy from Strong City, Okla., covered Short Fire for a thunderous 90.50 points Thursday night to win Round 1 of the 2026 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.

With seven days of championship drama still to come, Kimzey cut into No. 1 John Crimber’s lead and now trails the world standings leader by 238.5 points.

Kimzey Delivers Opening-Night Fire

Kimzey’s ride was the kind that makes a sold-out rodeo house rise to its boots. It marked his 19th career premier series 90-point ride and earned him 59 Unleash The Beast points, his sixth round win of the season and the first pick in the Round 2 bull draft.

“It’s great. To be able to come into a World Finals is special, but to have the great support system here that I do, it makes it all even better,” Kimzey said on the Paramount+ telecast.
“I kicked the week off on a good note. I’ve got eight more bulls to stay on, so that’s all I’m thinking about.”

For fans in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario who follow the North American rodeo trail, this World Finals has all the makings of a buckle race worth tracking. Kimzey, already a seven-time PRCA gold buckle winner, is trying to rope in another major world title while Crimber works to protect the lead.

Top Five Cowboys Take Their Lumps

Kimzey was the only rider among the top five in the standings to make the whistle Thursday night.

Crimber, of Decatur, Texas, was marked for a touch 2.27 seconds into his trip aboard Wreck It Ralph. No. 2 Brady Fielder of Clermont, Australia, slapped Cherry Shot at 2.11 seconds.
No. 4 Leandro Zampollo of Pirassununga, Brazil, was tossed by Jameson in 2.83 seconds, while No. 5 Alex Cerqueira of Iguatemi, Brazil, hit the dirt after 3.92 seconds on Cougar Uber.

That left Kimzey with a wide-open lane to make up ground, and he did not waste the chance.

Bulls Rule the Night at Cowtown Coliseum

This was not a rider-friendly opener. The bovine athletes owned Round 1, allowing just eight qualified rides.

No. 25 Callum Miller of Warwick, Australia, turned in a season-best 90.25 points on Big Dawg. Miller held the lead until late in the round and finished second on the event leaderboard, collecting 34 Unleash The Beast points.

Daylon Swearingen of Piffard, N.Y., the 2022 PBR world champion, kept his hot streak rolling with an 89.85-point re-ride score on Let’s Roll. Swearingen, ranked No. 7, has now converted four straight premier series outs and left Round 1 third on the leaderboard with 31 points.

Bolton and De Castro Keep Rolling

Hudson Bolton of Milan, Tenn., the 2025 PBR rookie of the year, stayed red-hot with an 89.65-point ride on Blonde Bomber.

The 20-year-old is now successful in nine of his last 10 outs and is 7-for-9 all-time at the World Finals. Ranked No. 19, Bolton heads into Round 2 fourth in the event after banking 28 points.

Luciano De Castro of Guzolandia, Brazil, was the first rider to make the whistle Thursday, covering Mean Machine for 88.45 points. The veteran’s ride marked a tour-best 10th straight qualified ride and earned him 26 points to round out the top five.

Dener Barbosa of Paulo de Faria, Brazil, Keyshawn Whitehorse of McCracken Spring, Utah, and Paulo Eduardo Rossetto of Colorado, Brazil, also posted qualified rides.

Young Bulls Share the Spotlight

Round 1 also included an ABBI Classic competition, showcasing emerging bucking bull talent competing for a share of a $68,000 purse.

Freedom Fighter and Jeffrey D split the Classic title after both were marked 90.24 points. Freedom Fighter bucked off Romario Leite of Pedra Preta, Brazil, in 2.18 seconds, while Jeffrey D dispatched Jess Lockwood of Volborg, Mont., in 3.61 seconds.

Each bull earned $13,260.

What Comes Next

The 2026 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast continues Friday, May 8, at Cowtown Coliseum. Round 2 is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CT, with coverage on Paramount+ beginning at 8 p.m. CT.

For Kimzey, the chase is on. For Crimber, the lead is still his. And for bull riding fans, there are seven more days of eight-second electricity left in Fort Worth.

Standings