BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
Heading into the summer run, there are three rookie bull riders with realistic NFR hopes and two of them are firmly in the Top 10 of the PRCA World Standings.
1. Lukasey Morris, $60,505
Lukasey Morris won three checks of more than $2,000 in May and is now up to No. 6 in the PRCA World Standings. His biggest check of the month was almost $5,000, which came from his first place finish at the Redding Xtreme Bulls (California). Morris also won the South Indiana River City Extreme Bulls. The 19-year-old is 30-for-79 this season.
2. Bubba Greig, $48,982
Bubba Greig is No. 8 in the PRCA World Standings but has covered just one of his last 10 bulls. At the end of April, Greig finished fifth in Clovis (California) and second in Springville (California). Grieg is riding 31 percent of his bulls this season and has an average score of 84.5 points per qualified ride.
3. Jack Gilmore, $37,166
Since May 20, Jack Gilmore has covered 4-of-7 bulls and earned over $8,000. He is up to No. 18 in the PRCA World Standings.
4. Wade Berg, $20,742
Wade Berg got a big boost in the standings after he won the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo (California). He was one of just two cowboys to ride there, so the win got him more than $6,500. Berg is averaging just over 80 points per ride this season.
5. Riley Barg $19,584
Riley Barg recently made the best ride of his young career when he was marked 91 points at the NorthernMost Xtreme Bulls (Alaska) which earned him more than $3,000. Barg has only eight qualified rides all year, but five of them have been 85 points or more.