Standings Shuffle: 34 Move Up in Top 15
With $1.76 million up for grabs between 20 PRCA competitions, cowboys were hitting the rodeo road July 16-22. From those competitions, 34 cowboys saw their positions improve within the Top 15.
Veteran and rookie cowboys know it’s easier to maintain a position at the top than it is to play catch-up when trying to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Every dollar counts, and making the Top 15 in the PRCA | RAM World Standings early establishes a solid base and builds a cowboy’s confidence as the season picks up pace.
Nobody knows this better than steer wrestler Hunter Cure, who jumped from 18th to 11th thanks to winning $7,264 at the Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho, and $2,331 at California Rodeo Salinas.
The following cowboys saw their positions in the PRCA World Standings improve from July 16-22.
Six Spots
• Cole Melancon moved from 12th to sixth in bull riding.
• Rhen Richard moved from 17th to 11th in tie-down roping.
Four Spots
• Blake Mindemann moved from 14th to 10th in steer wrestling.
• Chase Dougherty moved from 14th to 10th in bull riding.
Three Spots
• Bubba Buckaloo moved from fifth to second in team roping heading.
• Ryder Wright moved from ninth to sixth in saddle bronc riding.
• Dustin Boquet moved from seventh to fourth in bull riding.
• Shane O’Connell moved from 12th to ninth in bareback riding.
• Chase Tryan moved from 13th to 10th in team roping heeling.
• Cooper Martin moved from 13th to 10th in tie-down roping.
• Sterling Smith moved from 15th to 12th in tie-down roping.
• Spencer Mitchell moved from 16th to 13th in team roping heading.
Two Spots
• Bill Tutor moved from fifth to third in bareback riding.
• Trevor Brazile moved from sixth to fourth in tie-down roping.
• Bridger Chambers moved from seventh to fifth in steer wrestling.
• Junior Nogueira moved from eighth to sixth in team roping heeling.
• Ty Erickson moved from ninth to seventh in steer wrestling.
• Clay Elliott moved from 11th to ninth in saddle bronc riding.
• Dakota Eldridge moved from 11th to ninth in steer wrestling.
• Jr. Dees moved from 17th to 15th in team roping heading.
• Jake Wright moved from 17th to 15th in saddle bronc riding.
One Spot
• Tim O’Connell moved from second to first in bareback riding.
• Curtis Cassidy moved from third to second in steer wrestling.
• Trey Yates moved from third to second in team roping heeling.
• Wade Sundell moved from third to second in saddle bronc riding.
• Zeke Thurston moved from fifth to fourth in saddle bronc riding.
• Wesley Thorp moved from fifth to fourth in team roping heeling.
• Richmond Champion moved from eighth to seventh in bareback riding.
• Joe Frost went from eighth to seventh in bull riding.
• Cory Solomon moved from ninth to eighth in tie-down roping.
• J.R. Vezain moved from 13th to 12th in bareback riding.
• J.J. Elshere moved from 14th to 13th in saddle bronc riding.
• Ty Breuer moved from 15th to 14th in bareback riding.
Cowboys on the bubble for a spot in the Top 15 can find themselves a few dollars short of qualifying for the Wrangler NFR. The following cowboy climbed the standings to No. 16.
• Bull rider Roscoe Jarboe moved from 24th to 16th and is $1,342 away from breaking into the Top 15.
With the Fiesta Days Rodeo in Spanish Fork, Utah, and Ogden (Utah) Pioneer Days concluding July 24, and Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days finishing this weekend, the outcomes of these rodeos and others are sure to impact the world standings and possibly give a hint at who will qualify for the 2018 Wrangler NFR.
Check back with prorodeo.com next week to see who the new leaders are in the world standings.
Courtesy of PRCA