Standings Shuffle: 32 Move Up in Top 15

The 2021 season officially started Oct. 1, and as each of the RAM Circuit Finals rodeos concludes, cowboys are establishing a solid base for launching their trek down the ProRodeo road.

The new season already has paid out $2.4 million. From that total, $141,082 came from the RAM Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo that ended Jan. 2 and helped 32 cowboys move up within the Top 15 of the PRCA | RAM World Standings for their respective events.

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 world standings early establishes a solid base and builds a cowboy’s confidence as the season picks up pace.

Nobody knows that better than the seven cowboys who launched from outside the Top 50 and into the Top 15 in one week of competition. With more major rodeos on the horizon, big jumps such as these are sure to happen again.

Outside the Top 50

• Wyatt Casper is eighth in saddle bronc riding.
• Marty Yates is eighth in tie-down roping.
• Shay Good is eighth in steer roping.
• Levi Gray is 11th in bull riding.
• Lane McGehee is 12th in bareback riding.
• Ryan Motes is 12th in team roping heeling.
• Cody Lee is 13th in steer roping.

34 Spots

• Ky Hamilton moved from 48th to 14th in bull riding.

33 Spots

• Brody Cress moved from 39th to sixth in saddle bronc riding.

29 Spots

• Walt Arnold moved from 37th to eighth in steer wrestling.

26 Spots

• Leighton Berry moved from 29th to third in bareback riding.

22 Spots

• Creek Young moved from 27th to fifth in bull riding.

21 Spots

• Jeff Askey moved from 28th to seventh in bull riding.

17 Spots

• Lane Mitchell moved from 18th to first in team roping heeling.
• Dustin Egusquiza moved from 23rd to sixth in team roping heading.
• Logan Cook moved from 27th to 10th in saddle bronc riding.

16 Spots

• Chad Rutherford moved from 22nd to sixth in bareback riding.

15 Spots

• Kaleb Driggers moved from 17th to second in team roping heading.

14 Spots

• Travis Graves moved from 23rd to ninth in team roping heeling.

11 Spots

• Rowdy Parrott moved from 18th to seventh in steer wrestling.
• Scott Snedecor moved from 18th to seventh in steer roping.

10 Spots

• Trey Benton III moved from 11th to first in bull riding.

Seven Spots

• Colt Gordon moved from 12th to fifth in saddle bronc riding.
• Jake Brown moved from 17th to 10th in bareback riding.

Six Spots

• Josh Frost moved from ninth to third in bull riding.

Five Spots

• J.C. Flake moved from seventh to second in team roping heeling.
• Cory Solomon moved from 16th to 11th in tie-down roping.

Three Spots

• Tyler Wade moved from fourth to first in team roping heading.
• Vin Fisher Jr. moved from 13th to 10th in steer roping.

Two Spots

• Garrett Shadbolt moved from third to first in bareback riding.

One Spot

• Caleb Smidt moved from second to first in tie-down roping.
• Zack Brown moved from 10th to ninth 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 end of the 2020 season is so far away that the bubble doesn’t matter yet, but it’s still noteworthy to see who is on the cusp of breaking into the Top 15. The following cowboy climbed the standings to No. 16.

• Steer wrestler Tucker Allen moved from 43rd and is $276 away from breaking into the Top 15.

More changes in the world standings are likely to occur in the coming weeks as the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, Texas, kicks off Jan. 8.

Check back with prorodeo.com next week to see who the new leaders are in the world standings.

Courtesy of PRCA