Dawson Hay Wins PRCA Xtreme Broncs Tour After $26,000 Night
Dawson Hay showed why he’s in the hunt for a saddle bronc riding world championship on Thursday night in Rapid City, S.D.
The Wildwood, Alberta, cowboy continued his impressive season by winning his first PRCA Xtreme Broncs Tour title with $62,254 after winning the PRCA Xtreme Broncs Tour Finale.
Hay took it to the 25-rider field at the Xtreme Broncs Tour Finale, winning the two-head average with 179 points to edge out Wade Sundell – who split the 2019 Xtreme Broncs Tour Finale title – by a half point.
Hay earned $26,678 at the finale after tying for second in the first round, winning the short go and winning the average. The average win was worth $14,241.
“It’s an incredible feeling, and honestly, I just feel truly blessed to be healthy this time of year for once,” said Hay, 23. “It’s one of the first years I’ve been completely healthy, and to be able to compete at rodeos like these I’m tickled pink.”
He secured not only the finale win but the tour title with a 92-point ride on Sutton Rodeo’s South Point in the short round. It’s a horse he last faced at the 2019 National Finals Rodeo.
“I got on that horse in the 10th round of the NFR in 2019 and I was 88 points there,” Hay said. “I knew they won this deal on her last time, so there was a possibility for a big score. That horse gives you everything you need to win, you just have to do your job.”
Hay wrapped up the 2021 PRCA Xtreme Broncs Tour in the top spot with $62,254, nearly doubling two-time World Champion Zeke Thurston’s runner-up tour earnings of $36,906.
The win moves Hay one step closer to a return trip to the Wrangler NFR. He finished 18th in the world a year ago.
“Last year didn’t go the way I wanted to, but this year everything seems to be back on track,” Hay said. “My goal for this year was to enter the NFR in the top five positions, and this sets me up really good to do that.”
But the young saddle bronc rider knows there’s still work left to be done if he wants to win his first gold buckle. With a month left in the regular season he sits fourth in the PRCA | RAM World Standings.
“Each year I set attainable goals for myself, and this year it was to be in the top 5,” Hay said. “Anything else is extra for me. I’m just going to go into it from here on out with no safety on and just hope for the best. To win a gold buckle is everyone’s ultimate goal in this sport.”
For more coverage of the Xtreme Broncs Tour Finale, check out the Sept. 3 edition of ProRodeo Sports News.
Courtesy of PRCA