Standings Shuffle: 27 Move Up in Top 15

The final 19 rodeos of the regular season Sept. 24-30, worth $817,686, were the deciding factor in who qualified for the 60th annual Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. It was a last chance to climb the 2018 PRCA | RAM World Standings, not just for those outside of the Top 15, but also for those seeking the gold buckle, as every dollar counts in the race for the world title.

Of course, nothing is official until the standings have been audited and made official later this month. As it unofficially stands as of Oct. 1, 27 cowboys moved up within the Top 15 of their respective events and three broke the bubble at the last minute.

Team roping heeler Quinn Kesler moved from 16th to 15th thanks to tying for fourth at the American Royal Rodeo in Kansas City, Mo., winning $1,706 Sept. 29, and tying for fifth at the Poway (Calif.) Rodeo for $1,422 Sept. 29.

Saddle bronc rider Chase Brooks moved from 17th to 15th thanks to tying for second at the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Premier Rodeo, Sept. 29, for $2,350 and placing third at the Corn Palace Challenge in Mitchell, S.D., Sept. 29, for $2,681.

Tie-down roper Ryan Jarrett moved from 16th to 15th thanks to tying for third at the Young Living Last Chance PRCA Rodeo in Mona, Utah, Sept. 29, for $1,047 and winning the 34th annual Andy Devine Days Rodeo in Kingman, Ariz., Sept 30, for $902.

The following cowboys saw their positions improve in the world standings during the week.

Six Spots

• Garrett Tribble moved from 14th to eighth in bull riding.

Three Spots

• Marty Yates moved from 13th to 10th in tie-down roping.

Two Spots

• Jake Pratt moved from sixth to fourth in tie-down roping.
• Tanner Brunner moved from eighth to sixth in steer wrestling.
• Aaron Tsinigine moved from 11th to ninth in team roping heading.
• Tyler Bingham moved from 11th to ninth in bull riding.

One Spot

• Junior Nogueira moved from second to first in team roping heeling.
• Shane Hanchey moved from second to first in tie-down roping.
• Clayton Biglow moved from fourth to third in bareback riding.
• Kory Koontz moved from fourth to third in team roping heeling.
• Chris Glover moved from fourth to third in steer roping.
• Trevor Brazile moved from sixth to fifth in steer roping.
• Chase Dougherty moved from sixth to fifth in bull riding.
• Bubba Buckaloo moved from seventh to sixth in team roping heading.
• Jeff Askey moved from seventh to sixth in bull riding.
• Garrett Hale moved from ninth to eighth in steer roping.
• Cort Scheer moved from 10th to ninth in saddle bronc riding.
• Blake Mindemann moved from 12th to 11th in steer wrestling.
• Brodie Poppino moved from 12th to 11th in steer roping.
• Tyler Wade moved from 13th to 12th in team roping heading.
• Lane Ivy moved from 15th to 14th in team roping heading.
• Bryce Davis moved from 15th to 14th in steer roping.

Finishing 16th at the end of the season is a hard thing to swallow, and sometimes the deciding factor is by a margin of a few dollars. The following is the unofficial amount separating 15th and 16th for each event as of Oct. 1:

• Bareback riding – $7,480
• Steer wrestling – $1,749
• Team roping heading – $2,326
• Team roping heeling – $515
• Saddle bronc riding – $367
• Tie-down roping – $493
• Steer roping – $881
• Bull riding – $627

With 65 days to go until the Wrangler NFR and 39 days until the NFSR, some cowboys will take a well-deserved break before the biggest competition of the year. Others will hit the ground running for the start of the 2019 season by competing at the RAM Turquoise Circuit Finals (Oct. 5-6), the RAM California Circuit Finals Rodeo (Oct. 5-7) and the RAM Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo (Oct. 5-7).

Check back with prorodeo.com next week to see who won the first three circuit finals rodeos of the 2019 season.

Courtesy of PRCA