Bull rider Matt Triplett rode Little Tucker for 89.25 points to win the opening round the Professional Bull Riders: Unleash the Beast World Finals in Last Vegas on Nov. 7.
The five-day event is the final one of the season on the PBR tour and the culmination of a resurgent season for the 27-year-old Triplett, who has battled back from injury to rank 13th in the world. Triplett is coming off a win at the Cooper Tires Take the Money and Ride, Oct. 13 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and has nine other top-three rides this year.
Triplett, a Columbia Falls High School alum, finished in the top five in the world in 2014 and 2015 before injuries began to slow his career. He returned to competition in May following should surgery, an operation that was performed shortly after last year’s World Finals.
The 2018 World Finals continue at T-Mobile Arena through Nov. 11. Points are earned each day at the competition, with riders’ cumulative scores determining the overall event champion. Triplett earned 300 points as a result of his day one win.