The Monday Notebook is typically reserved for PRCA competition, but over the weekend, the top-paying PRCA rodeo awarded $38,000, while the PBR World Finals – Eliminations paid out well over $700,000.

Naturally, that’s where the Western world’s attention was focused, and why it’s the focus of this week’s Monday Notebook.

Jose Vitor Leme jumped 12 spots in the PBR World Standings thanks to a 4-for-4 performance to win PBR World Finals – Eliminations.  Leme, a two-time World Champion, knows a thing or two about seizing the moment and he did that many times over in Cowtown Coliseum. After relatively quietly riding his first two bulls, he exploded for 89.25 and 91.25 on his last two to ultimately win Eliminations by two points. Leme entered the World Finals in 18th place with 407 UTB Points and earned 353 Points over the weekend to nearly double his total and move to No. 6 entering Championship Weekend at AT&T Stadium.

Clay Guiton joined Leme as the only other rider to cover all four. The 19-year-old took the lead after Round 2 and was seemingly in control going into the Championship Round with a 3.5-point lead before losing to Leme by just two points. Frankly, it was no fault of his own. Guiton rode all four of his bulls and each ride was worth at least 85.75 points, Leme just had a little more bull power under him Sunday. Guiton’s efforts weren’t for not as he went from No. 11 to No. 4 in the PBR World Standings.

Dalton Kasel rode two in a row to close out Eliminations to keep a firm grasp on the World No. 1 spot. After bucking off Good Riddance in 2.96 seconds in Round 1 and Top Dollar in 6.16 seconds in Round 2, Kasel showed his championship mettle by riding his last two bulls for 88.75 and 91 points to finish sixth in Eliminations. He entered the World Finals with a 126-point lead over No. 2 Brady Fielder and stretched that to 238 heading into this weekend’s Championship Rounds. Fielder was 1-for-4 in Eliminations.

On the flip side, John Crimber got off to a hot start before bucking off his last two. Crimber looked like he was going to quickly make it a three-way race at the top with Kasel and Fielder when he got within 375 points of Kasel and 249 points of Fielder after Round 2. Things changed fast, however, as Crimber didn’t ride in Rounds 3 and 4 and Kasel did. Now, Crimber remains third in the World Standings, but trails Fielder by 238 and Kasel by 476. Crimber finished seventh overall in Eliminations.

Man Hater was named 2025 Yeti PBR World Champion Bull. The Jane Clark/Gene Owen bull became the eighth animal athlete to win the award multiple times as he boasted a 47.5-point average score for the season.

Alan de Souza made one qualified ride, but it was the highest marked ride of the four-round Eliminations. De Souza waited a while to get on the board, but it was worth it when he did. He was 92.5 in the Championship Round on Man Hater, which is the top score in the two-year history of World Finals – Eliminations. It was also good enough for 11th overall and 93 UTB Points and most importantly, it got him a spot in AT&T Stadium for the Championship Rounds.

Kaiden Loud finished third in Eliminations after winning it last year. For the second straight year, Loud has come up big at the World Finals. He has gone 3-for-4 in both of his Eliminations appearances — the most qualified rides of any rider in that time. Loud tallied 267 points on aggregate in 2024 in 265.75 points in 2025.

Austin Richardson covered two in a row to close things out and finish as the top rider on two. The Dallas native finished with 180.50 points on two after riding for 90.75 and 89.75 in Rounds 3 and 4 to finish fifth overall in Eliminations.