BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
Tim O’Connell won Cheyenne Frontier Days for the second consecutive year and third time in his career. Couple that with a second place finish in Deadwood and fresh No. 1 ranking, and he’s our Roughstock Athlete of the Week.
In Cheyenne, O’Connell averaged 86 points on three outs and was never marked below 84.5. His best ride was his last one, 88.5 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Sozo in the Finals to beat R.C. Landingham by a point.
“I’m thinking about buying some real estate out here in Cheyenne now,” O’Connell joked afterward. “I got people that are pushing me mentally, physically, spiritually....It’s not a one man show, I got a village of people and they know who they are and I love them for everything they do for me to get the opportunity to be here on this stage.”
The three-time World Champion also found success at the Days of ’76 Rodeo in historic Deadwood, South Dakota. He was 85 points there to split second with fellow Gold Buckle contenders Rocker Steiner and Cole Reiner as well as 20-year-old Dean Thompson.
O’Connell won over $10,000 in Cheyenne and $1,895 in Deadwood, enough to squeeze him past the injured Jess Pope and into the top spot in the World Standings by about $800.
O’Connell is averaging 84.7 points per ride in 2022 and has 39 rides marked 85 points or higher in 2022.
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