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A year ago, I wrote a column about the media not being welcomed at the National Finals Rodeo, a damning statement about the perception most of us had as we attempted to cover last year’s championship. My, how things have changed. The PRCA’s media department staff, just as they were a year ago, has been greatly accommodating. The column wasn’t about them; they put in long hours and handle requests and needs of those who are here to do their jobs. It was a proclamation about the perception most of us had based on serious developments made by PRCA management. The atmosphere in the makeshift media room – the UNLV’s practice gym adjacent to the tunnel that leads to the timed-event boxes – is vastly different at this year’s NFR. It’s pleasing and helpful. It’s a 180-degree turn from this room a year ago. There are roughly 100 people covering the NFR this year, documenting the goings-on in the arena by watching three large flat-screen TVs. There are no front-row press seats at this championship, because the logistics don’t allow for it, and that’s OK. We are here to work, to report, to share the information we gather to the various audiences we reach. Because the PRCA implemented these changes, it has made our jobs easier and more enjoyable. It has made for a friendlier media room and a more comfortable setting for us all. Kudos to the PRCA for making the change. We greatly appreciate it.

Bareback riding: 1. Jake Brown, 89.5 point on J Bar J’s Blessed Assurance, $26,231; 2. Caleb Bennett, 89, $20,731; 3. (tie) Tanner Aus and Clayton Biglow, 88.5, $13,127 each; 5. Kaycee Feild, 86.5, $6,769; 6. Tim O’Connell, 86, $4,231. Steer wrestling: 1. Ty Erickson, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Tyler Pearson, 4.2, $20,731; 3. Cameron Morman, 4.3, $15,654; 4. Kyle Irwin, 4.5, $11,000; 5. Stetson Jorgensen, 4.6, $6,769; 6. Bridger Chambers, 4.7, $4,231. Team roping: 1. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, $20,731; 3. Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, 4.4, $15,654; 4. Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp , 4.5, $11,000; 5. Tate Kirchenschlager/Tyler Worley , 4.6, $6,769; 6. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 4.8, $4,231. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Zeke Thurston, 91 points on Vold Rodeo Co’s Sun Glow, $26,231; 2. Dawson Hay, 88, $20,731; 3. Mitch Pollock, 87.5, $15,654; 4. Jesse Wright, 86, $11,000; 5. Jake Watson, 83.5, $6,769; 6. Spencer Wright, 82.5, $4,231. Tie-down roping: 1. Marty Yates, 7.0 seconds, $26,231; 2. Caleb Smidt, 7.2, $20,731; 3. (tie) Ty Harris and Rhen Richard, 7.5, $13,327 each; 5. Tyson Durfey, 7.6, $6,769; 6. Cooper Martin, 7.8, $4,231. Barrel racing: 1. Stevi Hillman, 13.53 seconds, $26,231; 2. Hailey Kinsel-Lockwood, 13.64, $20,731; 3. Dona Kay Rule, 13.78, $15,654; 4. Nellie Miller, 13.79, $11,000; 5. Lacinda Rose, 13.84, $6,769; 6. Emily Miller, 13.87, $4,231. s Bull riding: 1. Boudreaux Campbell, 91 points on Bar T Rodeo’s Goofy, $26,231; 2. Daylon Swearingen, 90, $20,731; 3. Jordan Hansen, 88, $15,654; 4. Trey Benton III, 87.5, $11,000; 5. Jordan Spears, 85, $6,769; 6. Jeff Askey, 83, $4,231.

LAS VEGAS – When Clayton Biglow was preparing to make his bareback ride Friday, Sozo of Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics was doing everything in the horse’s power to not let it happen. Just before he nodded his head, the official on the back of the chute tried to inform the California cowboy that he would have to take a re-ride. Biglow nodded his head, made the ride and scored 86 points. He was originally scheduled to finish tied for fifth in the round, worth $5,500. After the bareback riding was over, Biglow was informed that he would either take his re-ride or be given a no-score. Leading the world standings and the National Finals Rodeo average race, he had no choice. It turns out, it may have been a blessing. Instead, he rode Wayne Vold Rodeo’s Mucho Dinero for 88.5 points and finished in a tie for third place in the ninth round. With that, he received a pay increase of more than $7,800, which is never a bad thing. It improved his NFR earnings to more than $150,000 and his 2019 payout to $332,343. He has a stranglehold on the 2019 world championship, but it wasn’t without drama. That’s OK, though. Biglow is on pace to break the NFR average record set in 2011 when Kaycee Feild scored 860.5 cumulative points on 10 rides. Biglow sits at 793.5 on nine rides, meaning he needs just a 67.5-point ride to break the record. That payday would be worth $67,269 and would put Biglow’s annual earnings on the cusp of the $400,000 mark. All he would need is to place in Saturday’s 10th round, and he would surpass that. It’s been that kind of NFR for Biglow, who was the reserve national champion in collegiate bareback riding while helping lead his Feather River College rodeo squad to the men’s team title. That same year, he was the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rookie of the year. Just four seasons later, he has a firm grasp on the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle.

LAS VEGAS – John Aus rode bareback horses for a long time and, in 1988, he won the title in the Great Lakes Circuit. He even raised a bareback rider, who has taken the game to a bigger level and on a bigger stage. Tanner Aus is now a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, and that brings more pride to his father than is publicly discussed. “My dad is still my harshest critic and my closest mentor,” said Tanner Aus, who rode Cervi Championship Rodeo’s William Wallace for 88.5 points to finish in a tie for third place in Friday’s ninth round of the National Finals Rodeo. “He watches and picks apart my rides.” It’s not that the younger Aus minds at all. It’s what’s made him one of the greatest bareback riders in the game and why he has earned $78,750 in nine nights in Las Vegas. He knows each suggestion is to help make each ride better, and that’s always a goal. “Of course, my traveling partners are always on me, too, but my dad will always tell me the truth,” he said. “He sees the things I need to work on, and I really appreciate that. “Ty (Breuer) and Steven (Dent) go down the road with me all year long, and we get to know each other really god, we get to know each other’s family. To be out there with those guys means a lot to me. Having my wife and daughter close with me keeps me going every day, in and outside the arena.” It’s helping over the course of the first nine rounds of ProRodeo’s grand championship. He’s pushed his season earnings to $160,345 and sits eighth in the world standings with the 10th round remaining. Of course, it helps to be matched with top-caliber horses via the random draw, which is exactly what Aus found in William Wallace. It was the third time the two had danced across the arena, so Aus knew what to expect. “I knew that horse was going to do its job; I just had to do mine,” he said. “This pen was pretty fun, a good riding contest. It was a lot of fun to spectate, too. I knew that horse was good, and I was thankful to have it. I’m just trying to finish off the week strong and keep it rolling.” His only hiccup came in the first round of the NFR, when he was saddled with a no-score. That took him out of the all-important average, which pays a bonus of more than $67,000 to the cowboy who has the best 10-ride cumulative score when the championship concludes Saturday. “It’s been great, and it showed that you can be out of the average and still have a great NFR,” said Aus of Granite Falls, Minnesota. You have to keep your head on straight and still go for round wins. I’ve been trying my guts out, and it’s been a blast.”

LAS VEGAS – When Richmond Champion married Paige Lawrence earlier this year, he knew he was getting a champion’s mentality. She is an Olympian who competed in pairs skating at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia. She was raised in a rodeo family but understands what it means to compete at an elite level. She offers the right kinds of advice to her new husband. “She keeps everything in perspective for me,” said Richmond Champion, who rode Hi Lo ProRodeo’s Wilson Sanchez for 87.5 points Wednesday night to finish in a tie for fourth place in the seventh round of the National Finals Rodeo, worth $8,885. “Whether you’re winning money or not, this place will play tricks on you, and we just talk about it. There are just good things to get out and not be thinking about, because if you’re thinking about them before you get on, it’s going to get in your way. “We have been working on staying clear and focused. By the time I leave to come here, I’m just excited for what’s going to happen.” It’s worked. His ride on Wednesday pushed Champion’s NFR earnings to $65,000. He sits fifth in the world standings with $195,829 and sits on the verge of crossing the $200,000 barrier with three rounds remaining. “This is Wilson Sanchez’s 10th trip out here,” he said. “The first time she was out, she was in our nicer pen. She seemed to have grown up a little, and Tilden (Hooper) didn’t think that was where she belonged. We moved her to a little bit tougher pen. I was really excited to have her. “She is a full-grown woman now, that’s for sure. You feel her, but she rides good. She had a good day, so I couldn’t be happier.” It’s been an amazing NFR for the bareback riders. There’s been just one night through the opening seven that a cowboy has not scored at least 90 points, and that was Tuesday. In Monday’s fifth round, four men were in the 90s. “Everyone is riding really well,” Champion said. “Everyone is doing their job. It is fun to be part of, and it’s constantly pushing us. “Paige shot me a text (Wednesday) night that said, ‘How do you feel? Honestly?’ I said, ‘I’m happy with everything I can control.’ All you’ve got to focus on is what (horse) you get every day. The chips are going to fall where they may, so just enjoy every night. Tomorrow is a new day.”

LAS VEGAS – He says and does all the right things, and he is, deep inside, awfully proud of his friends who have chance to win the 2019 bareback riding world championship. But Tim O’Connell’s face wreaks of disappointment. He plowed through the latter parts of ProRodeo’s regular season, earning more than $100,000 in three and a half months to put himself in a position to grab a fourth straight Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. But those dreams were dashed after Thursday’s eighth round of the National Finals Rodeo. “It is what it is,” said O’Connell of Zwingle, Iowa, now living in Marshall, Missouri. “I am upset that I can’t win the world, but I’m proud of what I’ve done this year. I’m not done here by any means. I’m still going to hunt for a round win (Saturday), and I’m still going to be as aggressive as the first round or the first horse I came back on.” Californian Clayton Biglow has a stranglehold on the world title, and it would take some serious things to go against him in the 10th and final round of ProRodeo’s grand championship to keep him from grabbing that coveted trophy buckle. “It was Clayton’s year,” O’Connell said. “This is a kid I said I was going to have to watch out for, and he’s done it this year the hard way. He didn’t have a major win like Houston, didn’t go to San Antonio and didn’t do good at The American. He showed up and showed out all year. “He’s going to be a great champion for this year. He is going to pretty much break everybody’s record. I feel like I did everything in my power to display my talents this week working with what I had.” Yes, he did. He has placed in six of nine rounds and collected $72,615 in NFR cash. He sits seventh in the world standings, but he stands to gain ground on that when Night No. 10 comes to a close to finish out the 2019 ProRodeo campaign. He is second in the average and needs to score 80.5 points Saturday night to break the aggregate record set by Kaycee Feild in 2011. The thing is, he trails Biglow in the average race by 13.5 points, so Biglow should break that mark, too. If O’Connell remains second in the average, he will pocket an additional $54,577 on top of what he’s earned in the rounds. He sill has a good chance cash in Saturday night; he is matched with Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Top Flight, which has been one of the most electric bucking horses in the game the past decade. The first time this pen of horses was out on Monday night, Richmond Champion scored 89 points on Top Flight to finish sixth. In most rounds at the NFR, that’s a winner, but not this year. There were four scores in the 90s that round. “Our locker room is filthy,” O’Connell said. “Not only is our stuff scattered everywhere, but it is the best guys that ever touched this arena. “This is the toughest NFR I’ve ever been a part of, and I’m having a great NFR.”

LAS VEGAS – Every bull that Jordan Spears rides means more money at the National Finals Rodeo. Sure, he’s placed in four of nine rounds, earning $47,231 in the process, but there’s more to it. After Wednesday’s seventh go-round, he sat fifth in the NFR average race. As of Friday night, he is third. The difference in average payout for having one of the best cumulative scores after 10 rounds is more than $20,000. Only three cowboys can move him down, because Stetson Wright, Tyler Bingham and Koby Radley have ridden five bulls. If any of them rides for enough points Saturday and Spears doesn’t, then he’ll move down accordingly. Alas, if he covers his final bull for the qualifying eight seconds, Spears will add $43,154 to his NFR earnings. It’s worth noting that he is guaranteed at least a piece of the average pie whether he rides Saturday night or not; he won’t move further down than sixth in the aggregate race, which pays $16,500. “The game plan is to ride every single one,” said Spears of Redding, California, now living in Caldwell, Idaho. “I made a couple mistakes earlier in the week, but I’ve been fixing mistakes, doing my job and stays on my bulls. I’m just slowly winning a little bit each time, but I’m staying up there in that average.” On Friday night, he rode Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Short Bus for 85 points to finish sixth in the ninth round. That was worth another $4,231 and pushed his season total to $168,779. “I’ve been on that bull before, so I knew what he was going to do,” he said. “He’s a smart bull; you start to get one way or the other, and he will switch it up. He just wants you on the ground. I knew I had to stay square and not make any big moves, just ride him jump for jump. He was feeling free the whole time, and luckily it worked out.” He is quietly having the best NFR of his four qualifications. He’s ridden more bulls than any of his three previous trips to the Nevada desert, and he stands to finish the best season of his young career. “The name of the game is consistency,” Jordan said. “You do your job, and eventually it will pay off. I may not be winning the big checks, but I’m getting there. Staying strong in the average was a goal here. I wanted to come here and have a strong outing, ride all 10. That didn’t work out, but I’m doing my best to ride as many as I can. “I just want to take advantage of every opportunity.”

Bareback riding: 1. Clayton Biglow, 90 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Showstomper, $26,231; 2. (tie) Kaycee Feild and Austin Foss, 87.5, $18,192 each; 4. Tilden Hooper, 87, $11,000; 5. Tanner Aus, 86.5, $6,769; 6. (tie) Clint Laye and Caleb Bennett, 86, $2,115 each. Steer wrestling: 1. Will Lummus, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Stetson Jorgensen, 4.0, $20,731; 3. J.D. Struxness, 4.4, $15,654; 4. Tyler Pearson, 4.5, $11,000; 5. Tanner Brunner, 4.7, $6,769; 6. Matt Reeves, 4.8, $4.8, $4,231. Team roping: 1. (tie) Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira and Brenten hall/Chase Tryan, 4.3 seconds, $23,481 each; 3. (tie) Riley Minor/Brady Minor and Jake Cooper/Caleb Anderson, 4.4, $13,327 each; 5. Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 4.7, $6,769; 6. Luke Brown/Paul Eaves, 4.8, $4,231. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Jake Watson, 89.5 points on Calgary Stampede’s Stampede Warrior, $26,231; 2. Chase Brooks, 89, $20,731; 3. Spencer Wright, 87, $15,654; 4. (tie) Sterling Crawley, Brody Cress and Dawson Hay, 86.5, $7,333 each. Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Cooper Martin, Tyler Milligan and Riley Pruitt, 7.5 seconds, $20,872 each; 4. Caleb Smidt, 7.7, $11,000; 5. Tyson Durfey, 7.9, $6,769; 6. Michael Otero, 8.4, $4,231. Barrel racing: 1. Hailey Kinsel, 13.54 seconds, $26,231; 2. Jessica Routier, 13,57, $20,731; 3. (tie) Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi and Ivy Conrado, 13.73, $13,327 each; 5. Shali Lord, 13.75, $6,769; 6. Lacinda Rose, 13.76, $4,231. Bull riding: 1. Sage Kimzey, 94 points on Powder River Rodeo’s SweetPro’s Bruiser, $26,231; 2. Stetson Wright, 93.5, $20,731; 3. (tie) Clayton Sellars and Boudreaux Campbell, 91.5, $13,327 each; 5. Jordan Spears, 89.5, $6,769; 6. Jeff Askey, 87, $4,231.

LAS VEGAS – There’s a new No. 1 in the world of steer wrestling, and he’s from Minnesota. J.D. Struxness knocked his steer to the ground in 4.4 seconds Thursday night to finish third in the eighth round, earning his seventh payday in eight nights of the National Finals Rodeo. It was worth $15,654. More importantly, it pushed his NFR earnings to $107,308 and bumped his 2019 salary to $190,137. “This pen of steers keeps getting stronger as the week goes on,” said Struxness, 25, of Milan, Minnesota, now living in Alva, Oklahoma. “I thought my steer was middle of the herd, but I was 4.4 and still held on for third, so I’ll take it. “Tomorrow night, we’ll have to come back and be a little more aggressive. Hopefully we’ll have a little better steer and will move up a little bit.” He now owns a lead of nearly $5,000 over Ty Erickson, but he’ll need to really build on that over the next two nights if he wants to walk away as the No. 1 man. He won’t have a chance to earn any money in the average race after missing his fifth-round steer. That will likely make the difference for whomever is crowned world champion. The average winners – those with the best cumulative score through 10 rounds – will earn $64,269, while the eighth best aggregate score will collect $6,346. In order for Struxness to walk away with the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle, he is going to have to place high in both the final two rounds and have some other things go his way. “Hopefully I can get decent steers the next two nights, hit the barrier and make aggressive runs,” he said. “Hopefully we can move up toward the top of the rounds, but the big thing is to catch some checks every night and make a little money.” He’s done that in spades, but he’s been riding a great horse owned by Stockton Graves, who is also hazing for him. Graves is the rodeo coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, and Struxness was the college’s first national champion in 2016. “The hazers take good care of you out here,” he said. “You need one that is on top of his game for you to be god. Being able to win like this, your hazer is definitely doing his job.” Over the years, the two have transitioned from a coach-athlete relationship to one more like friend-mentor. It’s been beneficial for both. “As soon as we started traveling together, he was older and giving advice, so I was still learning,” Struxness said. “It’s just a different relationship. Now I’ve started to get experience under my belt, so we share back and forth. He still has more experience than me, but putting it together is just better for both of us.”

LAS VEGAS – Eight nights at the National Finals Rodeo creates a little wear and tear on the tires, especially for the bareback riders who are strapped to the baddest bucking horses in the game each night. Each jump, kick and explosion can take a toll on the body, especially considering the horses that bucked in Thursday’s eight round. They’re called “The Eliminators” for a reason; they are the toughest-to-ride horses in the game. “I feel good,” said Tanner Aus, who rode Hi Lo ProRodeo’s Pretty Woman for 86.5 points to finish fifth in the round, worth $6,769. “I’m pretty thankful. There are some guys in the locker room at this point that are fighting some stuff. If you can avoid injury, come into the finals trained and in shape, usually it can carry you through. “I’ve been pretty lucky, and hopefully it carries me through two more nights. He’s had a solid NFR, now his fourth in five years. He’s placed four times and earned $65,423 in Las Vegas and has moved up to ninth in the world standings with $147,018. He still has chances to add to that on Friday and Saturday nights, the final two of the 2019 ProRodeo season. “This is the greatest rodeo in the world,” said Aus, 29, of Granite Falls, Minnesota. “Being able to place in these rounds amongst this competition is incredible. After eight nights, everyone is still feeling good riding. It has been fun.” His ride on Pretty Woman was special. Not only did it earn him a needed NFR paycheck, it also gave him a bit of redemption. The last time he got on the horse was at the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo a few years ago, and he was 81.5 points. He improved his margin greatly. “That’s a strong horse, and at about six seconds, she throws a couple of lead changes and makes it tough right when you think you are tapped off,” he said. “It feels like she swapped leads and is tough that way. I’d like to have her again. I feel like I could maybe even ride a little bit better, but I was happy it went good tonight.” For Friday’s ninth round, he will be matched with Cervi Championship Rodeo’s William Wallace. On that horse’s previous trip Sunday, Caleb Bennett was 87 points to finish tied for third in the fourth round. “They call it the “Hopper Pen,” but it can give you just as much anxiety,” Aus said. “(Friday) night is really a riding contest. Everything in there is going to be great. If you mess up, it’s on you. We’ve got two more rounds of really good bucking horses. It’s going to be a blast.”

LAS VEGAS – If the past eight days have been a dream, Clayton Biglow doesn’t want to wake up. “When you are lying in bed and thinking about the NFR a week or so out, you just lay there and dream of a finals like this,” said Biglow, who has placed in six of eight National Finals Rodeo rounds, including at least a share of the last four go-round victories in a row, and earned $137,064 over that stretch. “To have this happening right now is unreal. “I’m on Cloud 9. I’m so blessed, and we’ve still got two more (rounds) to go. This thing is not over. I’m just so happy I can’t even explain it.” His fourth NFR is his best NFR, and the cowboy from Clements, California, is just 23 years old. He’s actually $20,000 ahead of his 2018 NFR earnings, and there are two nights left in Las Vegas. Through the year, he was dominant, winning 12 bareback riding titles, including big ones like the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days, the Daddy of ’em All. He has now earned $319,016 on the season and sits atop the world standings. He also is No. 1 in the average race, having ridden eight horses for a cumulative score of 705 points. That’s an 11-point advantage over the man in second place, the three-time reigning world champion Tim O’Connell. Both are on pace to set the NFR average record of 860.5, set by Kaycee Feild in 2011. He could try to coast through the final two rounds and claim the world championship, but that’s not who Clayton Biglow is. “That’s not how I right bareback horses,” he said. “I come at it every night the same way. It has been working. In previous years, I may have safetied up a little bit, and it made me pay for it. I got bucked off Killer Bee, I slapped Craig (At Midnight) and stuff like that. “This year, I don’t care what runs under me. I am going to give it 110 percent, going at it like I’m sitting 15th and I’ve got to make up every penny I can. I am going to ride for first every single night.” He won the round Monday with a 92.5-point ride, then shared the title in Round 6 with two other cowboys with an 88.5. He was 91.5 to win Wednesday, and he matched moves with Frontier Rodeo’s Showstomper for 90 point to win Thursday’s eighth round. Those four rounds make up $99,565 of his NFR earnings. It was a great night for Biglow to showcase his talent on the most difficult horses to ride in the sport, the “Eliminator Pen.” “We’ve all got buckers,” he said. “You’ve got to bare down and give it all you’ve got. I love the energy in the locker room during the E Pen, because everyone has their teeth gritted and are ready to fight. It’s a war zone back there.  I love it. I eat it up. Everybody feeds off each other. “It pumps you up and makes you come out and ride for first.”

LAS VEGAS – Jordan Spears has ridden five of eight bulls at the National Finals Rodeo as he prepares to close out the final two nights of the 2019 ProRodeo season. That’s 63 percent, and that’s awfully good in bull riding. It’s especially good at the NFR, which features the best bulls in the business. On Thursday night, he rode Powder River Rodeo’s Strange Cargo for 89.5 points, a score that would win most rodeos and most rounds at the sport’s premier event. But he settled for fifth place in the eighth go-round, worth $6,769. He has pushed his NFR earnings to $43,000 and his annual salary to $164,548. “I always worry about doing my job and letting the judges figure out where I sit,” said Spears, a four-time NFR qualifier from Redding, California, now living in Caldwell, Idaho. “I was pretty excited getting off that bull. I think I made an awesome ride. I did exactly what I wanted to: I stayed to the front and stayed square. “I had to ride that bull perfect, because he was really bucking. That was a great pen of bulls. The guys rode great. I was just lucky enough to catch fifth place.” Reigning five-time world champion Sage Kimzey highlighted the night with a 94-point ride, but there was a 93.5 and two 91.5s in the mix to push Spears’ to fifth place. For the Californian, he knew he had a good match in Strange Cargo. “I just saw him earlier in the week with Trevor Kastner,” he said. “I knew he was going to buck. They just switched pens on him, because he was pretty bucky the first time, so they moved him to the rank pen. I was glad to have him and excited about it. He was a little buckier than I thought he was going to be, but I’m glad it all worked out.” It comes down to a solid approach and a focus on handling the basic fundamentals that come with riding bucking beasts. “Consistency kills,” Spears said. “Look at Sage Kimzey. He is consistent throughout the year and at the NFR, and look at how many world titles he has won. I just try to do my job every time, approach every bull with a clear mind and ride as many as possible throughout the year. “I rode over 50 percent of my bulls throughout the year. To come here and ride over 50 percent of my bulls is really saying something when you are riding against the best guys in the world on the best bulls in the world.” Yes, it is.

LAS VEGAS – Thursday night in Sin City, nobody breathed a bigger sigh of relief than steer wrestler Tanner Brunner. He started off the National Finals Rodeo on a rough note, settling for a no-time in the opening round on Dec. 5. He followed that with four more tough nights, three slow runs and another no-time. It all changed after the fifth night. But he didn’t earn his first check in Las Vegas until he stopped the clock in 4.7 seconds to finish fifth in Thursday’s eighth go-round, worth $6,769. “It was a big relief,” said Brunner, 26, of Ramona, Kansas. “Just being able to place and win a little money, it gets the monkey off your back. I’ll just go out in the next two rounds and see how much I can win and don’t hold back.” Was it the most satisfying check of his career? “I know it is,” he said with a laugh. “This is a tough field. There are a lot of tough guys that, on any given night, can really do good.” He had to make a few changes to his mental approach, and that’s been a big help. After a backbreaking first five rounds, he started to settle into a groove. In fact, his eighth-round run was his third fastest of the week, just the first to pay off. He was 4.3 in the sixth round and 4.1 on Wednesday, both times finishing seventh. At the NFR, only the top six get paid. “For me, I had to remind myself that even though I was at the NFR, I had to go back to what got me here: Have more patience and let things happen instead of trying to make things happen,” Brunner said. “After the first couple of rounds, I tried to do that, but it didn’t kick in until after the fifth round. “I changed some things and watched some runs I’d made through the year. I focused on letting my feet lay out there further, getting strong head catches, and the rest came back to itself.” The NFR is a grind. Ten days, 10 rounds and $26,231 paid out to the winners of each round. It’s stressful and hectic, but it’s also the greatest week and a half in the sport. “I just made sure I stayed up on my rest and went through all my routines to keep myself and my body the best,” he said. “I just tried to enjoy being here a little more. It’s hard, but what really helps is all these guys that you’re competing against that are cheering for you. They’re keeping your spirits up every night.”

Bareback riding: 1. Clayton Biglow, 91.5 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Ankle Biter, $26,231; 2. Orin Larsen, 90, $20,731; 3. Tanner Aus, 88, $15,654; 4. (tie) Richmond Champion and Tim O’Connell, 87.5, $8,885 each; 6. (tie) Clint Laye and Jake Brown, 86.5, $2,115 each. Steer wrestling: 1. Stetson Jorgensen, 3.4 seconds, $26,231; 2. Tyler Pearson, 3.8, $20,731; 3. (tie) Ty Erickson, J.D. Stuxness and Matt Reeves, 3.9, $11,141 each; 6. Cameron Moorman, 4.0, $4,231. Team roping: 1. Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Ty Blasingame/Travis Graves, 4.2, $20,731; 3. Tate Kirchenschlager/Tyler Worley, 4.3, $15,654; 4. Luke Brown/Paul Eaves, 5.0, $11,000; 5. Matt Sherwood/Hunter Koch, 7.5, $6,769; 6. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 9.0, $4,231. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Zeke Thurston, 92.5 points on Northcott Macza’s Get Smart, $26,231; 2. Ryder Wright, 88.5, $20,731; 3. Jake Watson, 87.5, $15,654; 4. Brody Cress, 86, $11,000; 5. Chase Brooks, 84.5, $6,769; 6. Spencer Wright, 78, $4,231. Tie-down roping: 1. Tyler Milligan, 7.5 seconds, $26,231; 2. Adam Gray, 7.7, $20,731; 3. Tuf Cooper, 8.2, $15,653; 4. Riley Pruitt, 8.4, $11,000; 5. Caleb Smidt, 9.6, $6,769; 6. Haven Meged, 9.8, $4,231. Barrel racing: 1. Hailey Kinsel, 13.60 seconds, $26,231; 2. Jessica Routier, 13.72, $20,731; 3. (tie) Nellie Miller and Lacinda Rose, 13.79, $13,326 each; 5. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, 13.83, $6,769; 6. Shali Lord, 13.89. $4,231. Bull riding: 1. Sage Kimzey, 90 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Smoke Wagon, $33,564; 2. Boudreaux Campbell, 87, $28,064; 3. Tyler Bingham, 83.5, $22,987; no other qualified rides.

LAS VEGAS – Clayton Biglow continued his winning ways during Wednesday’s seventh round of the National Finals Rodeo, but he did it in an unconventional fashion. He rode Rafter G Rodeo’s Ankle Biter for 91.5 points, but it wasn’t the classic spurring motion and bucking style that he has shown through the first six rounds of ProRodeo’s grand championship. Ankle Biter spun while she kicked, and it made for a whirlwind bareback ride inside the Thomas & Mack Center. “I was telling everyone that’s the best bull ride I have ever made,” said Biglow, who last tried his hand at bull riding half a decade ago when he was in high school. “You have to spur through that. Your feet are your pedals, and you have to have forward momentum. If you don’t, you will get left behind. “When horses turn back like that, it is pretty hard. You’ve got to use your feet, but you also really have to use your upper body to make corners like that. I had to pull the old bull-riding moves out for sure. It came in handy.” With that ride, and the $26,231 he earned for winning his third round in a row, he extended his lead in the NFR aggregate race and the world standings. He has pocketed $110,833 in Sin City, which has pushed his season earnings to $292,786. He has a $39,000 lead over the No. 2 man, Canadian Orin Larsen, as they head into the final three nights of the 2019 season. “I don’t pay attention to any of that stuff,” said Biglow, 23, of Clements, California. “Whether I have a $200,000 lead or a $1,000 lead, I’m coming in every night like it’s a one-header. I’m telling myself that they are right on my heels, and I need to ride up every single night. “I’m especially not one to pay attention to the standings. What it says on paper means nothing to me. It’s how I ride and what I feel like when I get done riding. I try to do the same thing every time I nod my head.” It’s working, and it’s working in the most magical place in ProRodeo. The NFR offers a $10 million purse paid out over 10 December nights in Las Vegas. He’s earned a great living in just seven days, and there is nearly $79,000 up for grabs in first-place money alone.

LAS VEGAS – Through the first seven nights of the National Finals Rodeo, J.D. Struxness has taken himself to the pay window six times. It’s adding up fast. On Wednesday night, he wrestled his steer to the ground in 3.9 seconds to finish in a three-way tie for third place, pocketing $11,141 in the process and moving his Las Vegas earnings to $91,654. “We just keep doing what we’re doing and trying to be aggressive at the barrier,” said Struxness, 25, of Milan, Minnesota, now living in Alva, Oklahoma. “I liked the steer we had tonight, but this was a more electric herd; we should be faster on these, and everybody was tonight.” He has earned more money over the last seven days than he did through the regular season. He had collected $82,829 through Sept. 30, and with his run in Vegas, he has pushed his annual income to $174,483. He sits third in the world standings with three nights remaining. “I say that $100,000 is the minimum I want to win out here,” he said. “Of course, we can set our goals a lot higher than that, but to come out here and win that kind of money is great. We’re going to be able to do some stuff and take care of that baby.” Everlee Struxness turned a month old in Las Vegas, and he has kept himself and his family away from the strip and at a resort best fitting for them. “It’s a bit more relaxed for her, and it’s away from the hustle and bustle,” Struxness said. “She is at ease, and it takes the stress off me. I’ve been able to come out here and do my job.” By placing in the rounds, he continues to be dominant in earnings, but a missed opportunity in the fifth round has left him behind. World standings leader Tyler Waguespack leads the aggregate race; if the reigning world champion holds on to that, then he will add more than $67,000. That’s a distinct advantage. “I’ll just take care of what I can take care of, and we’ll go from there,” Struxness said. As he looked over photographs of his previous runs, there was a common theme. Each action image looked the same as the one before. That’s a good thing. The proof is a 3.8-second run in the first round and three more 3.9s to follow “That is what we practice for out here,” he said. “If you can set it up, it is more of a reaction when it comes to having to throw steers in 3 seconds. The more you can set up the same, the better it is. You are just making the same run over and over. Our run has been 3.9.”

LAS VEGAS – As the eighth bareback rider to compete Wednesday night, Tanner Aus posted a magical score of 88 points. He was in the cat birdseat as the seventh-round leader. He started thinking about a round-winning celebratory dinner. Then the last two guys rode, and things changed. First, Clayton Biglow scored 91.5 points to push Aus to second, then Orin Larsen was 90. Prime rib quickly turned to a ribeye sandwich. Still, Aus’ ride on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s South Point Gambler was worth another $15,654. “I watched video of Kaycee (Feild’s) ride on that horse in the first half of the week and found a couple other videos,” he said. “He’s pretty hard to ride. From the video, it looked like he was going to have a couple pretty big swoops that might knock your feet out. He didn’t do that for me. I can’t wait to watch it. It was a good round of bucking horses again. “It has been so much fun to watch, so much fun to be part of. Everything happens so fast that you don’t always get to watch as close as you’d like, but we always go back and watch the replays.” Great rides and big scores have been the common theme in bareback riding at the NFR, and Aus has done well. He’s earned just shy of $60,000 in seven nights and has pushed his season earnings to more than $140,000. “I feel great,” said Aus of Granite Falls, Minnesota. “I think it has to do with the process leading up to the finals. I put in a lot of time in the gym. My focus was on being strong and being healthy, feeling good and doing the right thing. I hope it carries me through right through the 10th round. “We are still having fun. This week just goes so fast. I can’t believe we’re seven down, three to go. It just flies by.” Part of the joy is spending these magical 10 days with his family, including his wife, Lonissa, and their 18-month-old daughter, Bristol, who is experiencing the Nevada desert for the first time. “It has been so much fun having her here,” he said. “I get done riding, and no matter how it goes, I go upstairs (at the Thomas & Mack Center) and meet the family. She will find me from across the room and make a bee line for me, come and give me a big hug. “It’s hard to beat the rush of the NFR, but if anything is going to top it, it is that right there. I am pretty thankful.”

LAS VEGAS – Tim O’Connell’s confidence continues to soar at the National Finals Rodeo, and there is a good reason. He has placed in five of seven rounds, scored big points and earned $68,385, the latest coming Wednesday night when he was 87.5 points on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Scarlet Fever. He tied for fourth place in the seventh round and earned $8,885. “I can’t do any more than what I’m doing,” said O’Connell, the three-time reigning world champion bareback rider from Zwingle, Iowa, now living in Marshall, Missouri. “I’m making good rides on great bucking horses. I think I’m on pace to break the average record. Obviously, Clayton (Biglow) is on pace to break the average record. It is what it is.” In his bid for a fourth straight Montana Silversmiths gold buckle, O’Connell is in a street fight with all the other bareback riders at this year’s championship. It’s been seven days of hard-charging, fantastic rides on incredible bucking beasts. Biglow leads the aggregate standings with seven rides for a cumulative total of 615 points. O’Connell is second in the average with 609. The average winner will pocket more than $67,000, something the Iowa cowboy knows a little about. He has won at least a share of the average crown each of the previous three seasons. If he stays where he is in the average, O’Connell will add $54,577 at the NFR’s conclusion. Through the first seven nights, there has only been one where a score of 90 wasn’t produced, and that came in Tuesday’s sixth round. In all, a dozen rides have been marked 90 points or better, which is an incredible statement on the status of the game today. “This was the second time I had that horse,” O’Connell said of Scarlet Fever. “I spurred over the neck the first time I got on her, and it probably cost me winning Fort Worth for third time in a row. I was excited about having that horse. She has proven herself in that pen, and she was good today. “Sometimes you have to take what you are getting. Being the second guy out of the chutes and being 87.5 is not bad.” He sits seventh in the world standings with $181,553 and trails Biglow in the race for the world title by $111,233. Still, he remains positive that another buckle can be heading back home next week. “I’ve still got three rounds, and I can still win the world,” he said. “I don’t doubt in my mind, and I won’t doubt until it’s over. If somebody else thinks it is locked up, they better watch out.” Sharing this moment with his family has also been a big part of his excitement in Las Vegas. They take photos every night, and they enjoy the moment for what it is. O’Connell has earned most of his money in the last six months because he sat out the first half of the season with an injured riding shoulder that required surgery. “This is a celebration, because this could have just as easily been taken away from me as being a world-title race. It really made me appreciate this rodeo. It made me see the bigger picture. I’ve really enjoyed this year’s NFR more than I have the past three. You’d say, ‘That’s crazy; you’ve won three world titles.’ “When you only think about world titles, you lose the love of the game and what all comes with it. I’m enjoying it. I’m loving it. I’m enjoying riding bucking horses.” It’s that love affair, that passion, that has drawn him to this game. Riding bareback horses isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes a wild nature and an unbreakable will to perform on the back of a bucking horse, and O’Connell’s got that. “What I’ve done is big, but I don’t see it in my mind as anything special yet,” he said. “I will look back on it when this thing is over and see how special the year was. I still have goals and aspirations for leaving here as the four-time world champion. It’s not done.”

LAS VEGAS – Time flies when a person is having fun. The National Finals Rodeo has flown by for bareback Orin Larsen, who has had as much fun as anybody as he chases a world championship. “I feel like three days ago was Dec. 1 when we showed up,” said Larsen, a five-time NFR qualifier from Inglis, Manitoba, now living in Gering, Nebraska. “I just try to slow everything down as much as I can. I need to remember to just enjoy it; it’s not going to last forever. There’s going to be a day when this is just going to be a memory for me. I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can as often as I can.” He should. Over the course of the first seven rounds, he has placed on five nights, including the fourth-round victory. He has posted three rides of at least 90 points, with the most recent happening in Wednesday’s seventh round. He posted a 90-point ride on Big Stone Rodeo’s Mayhem to finish second, pocketing another $20,731. Actually, Mayhem was Larsen’s second horse of the night. He was originally mounted on Kesler Rodeo’s Uptown Flash, but the paint didn’t have a good trip. Larsen took his re-ride opportunity and made the most of it. “I don’t now what happened; the horse just had a bad day,” he said. “Tim (O’Connell) rode that horse and was 89.5. The re-ride worked out good.” That’s a bit of an understatement. He has earned $80,231 through seven nights of ProRodeo’s grand finale and has pushed his season earnings to $253,673. He is No. 2 in the world standings behind leader Clayton Biglow, but Larsen is still very much in the world-title race with three rounds remaining in the 2019 season. “When you are 90 points three times during the finals and only won one round, it’s a pretty salty bareback riding,” Larsen said. “It’s just a great group of guys. Everyone is just hammering horses and doing good. It’s so fun to see. When you get to see everyone riding this good, there’s nothing more fun.”

LAS VEGAS – With just three days remaining on the 2019 ProRodeo season, the races for the world championships are coming down to the wire. For Tuf Cooper of Decatur, Texas, he is in the middle of a sprint to the finish for both the tie-down roping and all-around titles. On Wednesday night during the seventh round of the National Finals Rodeo, Cooper roped and tied his calf in 8.2 seconds to finish third. That was worth $15,654. That pushed his NFR earnings to $62,885 and upped his season pay to $168,477. He still trails the tie-down roping leader, Shane Hanchey, by $41,451, but he has a few advantages. Cooper is in a good spot in the average race, and Hanchey sits ninth, out of the chance for money right now. “It’s just a blessing to be in these races,” said Cooper, who owns three tie-down roping titles and the 2017 Montana Silversmiths all-around gold buckle. “This is why you compete in rodeo. This is why you want to be in Las Vegas, to give yourself a chance to win the title(s).” Roughstock cowboy Stetson Wright leads the all-around race with $247,576, and he’s qualified for the NFR in bull riding. He’s followed by team roper Clay Smith with $245,402, and Cooper has $222,640. The main differences between the three come in the aggregate standings. Cooper is the No. 2 tie-down roper behind NFR rookie Haven Meged, the latter of whom has roped and tied seven calves in a cumulative time of 60.2 seconds. Cooper is just a second behind and could easily make up that ground over the next three rounds. The average payouts are $67,269 to the winner and $54,577 to the No. 2 man when the NFR concludes. It’s an incredible bonus that goes to the contestants with the best aggregate times and scores over the 10-day championship. Smith sits fourth in the heading aggregate, which would pay $31,731, while Wright is sixth in bull riding, worth $16,500. That could make a big difference when the dust clears in Sin City on Saturday night. Plus, there are three more opportunities to earn more cash in the go-rounds. With winners pocketing $26,231 each night, many things can change before the season concludes. That’s what makes it fun for competitors who crave gold buckles and for the fans who flock to Las Vegas to watch it.

LAS VEGAS – Tim O’Connell is having a pretty solid National Finals Rodeo. He’d like it to be exceptional. That’s what it’s going to take over the final four nights of the season if he hopes to win a fourth straight bareback riding world championship. “This field is rank,” said O’Connell, who rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Scarlet’s Web for 88 points to finish fourth in Tuesday’s sixth round and pocket $11,000. “I’m trying my guts out, and an 88-point ride places fourth. That score will win any rodeo in the United States by a landslide, but not here, not against these guys. “I’m doing my job. I’m leaving it out there every night. I’m making smart rides.” He sits seventh in the world standings with $172,668, $59,500 of which has come in Las Vegas. His Tuesday ride featured a talented bay mare that’s been to the NFR 13 times; this is just the sixth trip for O’Connell. “That horse looks like a grizzly bear,” he said of Scarlet’s Web. “Being from Texas, she has here winter hair. She’s been so good for so long, and she was great tonight. She was awesome, and she gave me a chance to go after the round tonight.” Instead, a trio of cowboys – Clayton Biglow, Tilden Hooper and Caleb Bennett – beat O’Connell by a half point. Now the cowboy from Zwingle, Iowa, trails Biglow, the world standings leader, by almost $94,000. Biglow also leads the average race with a cumulative score of 523.5 points on six rides, while O’Connell is two points behind in second place. “I care about the average, but I don’t care about it right now,” O’Connell said. “I’m worried about winning rounds right now. I’m going to start taking more chances the next few nights. I’m here to win a world title. I do understand the average will win you the world, per say, but I need to shut this gap on Clayton. “I know what I’m capable of. We’ve got four rounds left to do it, and there is probably $170,000 up for grabs when it’s all said and done. Anybody who thinks it’s over is a fool.” The average is big, because the winner will pocket $67,269 for having the best aggregate score after 10 rounds. Second place pays $54,577, so that difference could be the world title. The bareback riders will face the rank horses Wednesday, then will be back in the “Eliminator Pen” on Thursday. “I train for these next two rounds, the ones I feel are my strongest, the buckers and the eliminators,” he said. “When you put us on the bigger, stronger horses, that is where I shine. I’ve always said the world title is on in Round 6, 7 and 8. “I know how important these next two rounds are. I’ve put in the work at home for these next two rounds.”

LAS VEGAS – Saddle bronc rider Colt Gordon and Outlawbuckers Rodeo’s Little Muffin have a good history, which repeated itself Tuesday night. Gordon and the bay bucking horse matched moves for 85 points to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place in the sixth round of the National Finals Rodeo, and the Oklahoma cowboy pocketed another $7,333. “I got on him in the short round at Pendleton this year,” said Gordon, who was 89 points to win that round and the average title at the big, Oregon rodeo in September. “It went really well there. I was expecting a lot better today, but the flank wrapped around my foot coming around the corner, and it popped me out of (the saddle). “I got to finish him how I wanted, got some money, and that’s all that matters right now.” It marked the second straight night he’d cashed in at the NFR. He has pushed his Vegas winnings to $19,449 and moved his season earnings to $110,519. Better yet, he has four more rounds remaining on the 2019 season to keep adding to those totals. “All the bugs are out now,” said Gordon, 22, of Comanche, Oklahoma, now competing in ProRodeo’s premier event for the first time in his young career. “I’m ready to get everything rolling. Coming into that first day, I was moving around a little too much. I was wanting to do so good that I was just overthinking everything. “You don’t realize how much pressure is here until you are a couple of days in and everything gets set in, and you get it figured out.” It will get a bit tougher on the bronc riders Wednesday and Thursday. They face the “Eliminator Pen” in Round 7 – only four cowboys earned qualified rides the first time that group of horses were out – and the semi-eliminators Thursday. Gordon isn’t concerned, though. “Those horses fit me a little more,” he said. “They don’t let you think about things. On horses that are a little nicer, a guy can get to thinking about it. With those that buck, you just have to hope for the best.” He also has something different in his back pocket than the first time he faced the rank broncs. “My confidence is way up from the first couple of rounds,” Gordon said. “I feel back to my old self. We are ready to go.”

LAS VEGAS – When J.D. Struxness didn’t get a time in Monday’s fifth round of the National Finals Rodeo, some saw it as a devastating situation. Struxness saw it as a hiccup. “I got an outstanding start, and that steer fell to the right like they do here when you do that,” he said. “I tried reaching out there, and I couldn’t get my hands on him. We just shrug that one off. There are still nine other rounds, and we knew we had five more chances. We came back (Tuesday) night, and we were able to place again.” He did in a big way. He wrestled his steer to the ground in 3.9 seconds to finish in a tie for second place in the sixth round. That $18,192 pushed his NFR earnings to $80,513. He sits third in the world standings with $163,342 and trails the leader, reigning world champion Tyler Waguespack, by less than $14,000. “After what happened (Monday), we just needed a good, honest steer like that to come back and get our confidence back,” said Struxness of Milan, Minnesota, now living in Alva, Oklahoma. “We came back, got a good start and did our job. We won second, and we will keep moving on during the week. Hopefully we keep pulling checks in the rounds. “(Monday) was frustrating. There were some things I could have done different to make sure I caught that one. It happened, and there isn’t any looking back when there is $26,000 on the line the next night. You just have to shrug it off, come back and stay aggressive, and try to get all the money you can in the rounds.” He has a great deal of help, whether it’s the family in the Nevada desert supporting him or leaning on his hazer, Stockton Graves, one of his traveling partners who was his former coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Struxness became the university’s first national champion in 2016, winning the aggregate title at the College National Finals Rodeo that June – the Rangers snagged two more titlists in 2010 when breakaway roper Taylor Munsell and steer wrestler Bridger Anderson found success in Casper, Wyoming. As he has done all summer, he is riding Graves’ horse, Freeway, and trusts Graves to keep the steers aligned to make solid runs. “We are going to be aggressive again,” Struxness said of the team’s approach to the final four nights of the 2019 ProRodeo campaign. “We’ll go out there, make good runs and use the animals they draw us the best we can.”

Bareback riding: 1. (tie) Caleb Bennett, on Calgary Stampede’s You See Me, Clayton Biglow, on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Freckled Frog, and Tilden Hooper, on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Ain’t No Angel, 88.5 points, $20,872 each; 4. Tim O’Connell, 88, $11,000; 5. (tie) Orin Larsen and Austin Foss, 87.5, $5,500 each. Steer wrestling: 1. Tyler Waguespack, 3.8 seconds, $26,231; 2. (tie) Scott Guenthner and J.D. Struxness, 3.9, $18,192 each; 4. Bridger Chambers, 4.0, $11,000; 5. (tie) Cameron Morman and Will Lummus, 4.1, $5,500 each. Team roping: 1. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 4.0 seconds, $26,231; 2. Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 4.2, $20,731; 3. (tie) Clay Tryan/Jake Long and Erich Rogers/Kyle Lockett, 4.3, $13,327 each; 5. Matt Sherwood/Hunter Koch, 4.6, $6,769; 6. Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 4.9, $4,231. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Dawson Hay, 88.5 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Sue City Sue, $26,231; 2. (tie) Sterling Crawley and Jacobs Crawley, 85.5, $18,192 each; 4. (tie) Chase Brooks, Brody Cress and Colt Gordon, 85, $7,333 each. Tie-down roping: 1. Ty Harris, 7.8 seconds, $26,231; 2. Riley Pruitt, 7.3, $20,731; 3. Tyson Durfey, 7.4, $15,654; 4. (tie) Shane Hanchey and Marty Yates, $8,885; 6. Tyler Milligan, 7.8, $4,231. Barrel racing: 1. Amberleigh Moore, 13.55 seconds, $26,231; 2. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, 13.69, $20,731; 3. Hailey Kinsel, 13.70, $15,654; 4. Shali Lord, 13.85, $11,000; 5. Cheyenne Wimberley, 13.87, $6,769; 6. Nellie Miller, 13.88, $4,231. Bull riding: 1. Boudreaux Campbell, 92.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Tequila Worm, $26,231; 2. Jordan Spears, 90, $20,731; 3. Sage Kimzey, 89.5, $15,654; 4. Daylon Swearingen, 88, $11,000; 5. Tyler Bingham, 87, $6,769; 6. (tie) Stetson Wright and Trevor Kastner, 86, $2,115.