Missouri native Mason Lowe ready to ride as Professional Bull Riders Tour hits KC

Mason Lowe was at a particularly low point as the Professional Bull Riders Tour left Kansas City last year.

Lowe, a native of Exeter, Mo., was in the midst of a slump of six consecutive stops without a top-10 finish, and feeling the nagging effects of a lingering wrist injury.

Then Lowe got to Albuquerque, and left with the first Built Ford Tough Series victory of his career.

“A lot of people didn’t count me in, and I didn’t consider myself to win either, because I was hurting,” Lowe said. “I guess good things happen at the right time. It felt pretty good.”

Lowe enters this weekend’s Kansas City Invitational at Sprint Center in a decidedly better spot.

He took the winter off to heal up from injuries common to bull riders who try to stay atop 1,500 pounds of surly livestock. Lowe is 12th in the world standings. He had a third-place finish in Oklahoma City and finished sixth at the season-opening event at Madison Square Garden.

Lowe has had at least one successful ride in every event this year, and is looking for more of the same in the first stop of the season in his home state.

“It’s gone really good,” Lowe said. “I’m actually healthy and riding pretty good. The short round has been kicking my butt a little bit, but I’ve got two good bulls drawn (this weekend), and it sets me up.”

Second-year rider Jess Lockwood has dominated the early portion of the PBR season. The 19-year-old from Montana is currently ranked the top rider in the world, with two wins and another fifth-place finish to his credit in five events. Brazilian riders Rubens Barbosa and Marco Eguchi, who won the 2013 event in Kansas City, round out the top three.

Lowe has enjoyed his time at home after spending the last few weeks in California, and he’d love nothing more than to leave with his second career title before hitting the road again next week.

“When we’re doing intros and walking across that shark cage, there’s a lot louder cheer for the Missouri guys,” Lowe said. “It makes me want to stay on. I appreciate where I come from when everyone is cheering me on like that.”

PBR in KC

What: Professional Bull Riders Kansas City Invitational

When: 6:45 p.m. Saturday and 1:45 p.m. Sunday

Where: Sprint Center

Tickets: $15-$400, available at Sprint Center box office or online at AXS.com

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 9:17 PM with the headline "Missouri native Mason Lowe ready to ride as Professional Bull Riders Tour hits KC."