BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
Shad Mayfield has been dominant in the tie-down roping to start the 2024 ProRodeo season.
He has already made more than $60,000 while only one other tie-down roper has made more than $20,000. Based on last year’s PRCA World Standings, he could rest from now until the middle of June and still be No. 2 in the World.
Mayfield, however, has no intention of doing that. He wants his regular season earnings record back, and he’s going to need $281,406 before Oct. 1 to do it.
No. 1. Shad Mayfield, $63,633
Mayfield’s lead cannot be understated. He banked $26,500 at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, which is more than any other tie-down roper has made all season. Last year at this time, the leader of the PRCA Tie-Down Roping World Standings, Westyn Hughes, had earned $32,933
No. 2 Chance Thiessen, $21,029
Thiessen placed cashed a check of more than $2,000 in each of the first two rounds at the National Western (Colorado) in January. He also the Average and the Second Round at the Wilderness Circuit Finals (Utah) in November.
No. 3 John Douch, $18,689
Douch cashed in about two-thirds of his earnings when he won the Texas Circuit Finals in October. He placed first or second in all four rounds there.
No. 4 Brushton Minton, $18,177
Minton won the Short Round of the Cinch Roping Fiesta (Texas) at the end of October and later won the Average at the California Circuit Finals in December. Similar to Douch, he finished first or second in every round at his Circuit Finals.
No. 5 Tyler Milligan, $17,500
The three-time NFR qualifier made every dollar of his total this year at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. He finished second there after three of his four runs were exactly 8.1 seconds.
No. 6 Haven Meged, $16,210
Meged hasn’t slowed down since breaking the NFR Average record in December. He won a round at the Montana Circuit Finals in January and then advanced to the Finals in Fort Worth, where he made $6,500.
No. 7 Riley Webb, $15,778
The reigning World Champion won almost $9,000 before the 2023 NFR at November’s Cook Rodeo Days (Texas). Once the calendar turned to 2024, he also won a round at the National Western with a 7.4-second run.
No. 8 Chance Oftedahl, $15,673
The Minnesota cowboy won big with a third place finish in Fort Worth to kick off the Texas Swing. He won more than $10,000 with a third place finish that included a 7.8-second run to win Bracket 7, Round 2.
No. 9 Tuf Cooper, $14,634
The 15-time NFR qualifier won two rounds in Denver and also finished second in Round 2 of Cook Rodeo Days to make up most of his 2024 earnings.
No. 10 Joel Harris, $13,942
Harris cashed in big at his first two rodeos of the 2024 season back in October when he won the Columbia River Circuit Finals (Oregon) and placed in two rounds at the Cinch Roping Fiesta.
No. 11 Garrett Elmore, $13,524
The top-ranked rookie so far has climbed the World Standings thanks to his last two runs, which paid $4,030 and 4,230. He finished second in the Finals in Denver with a 7.4-second run and then finished second at Rodeo Rapid City (South Dakota) with an 8.5.
No. 12 Marcos Costa, $12,591
Costa won $4,400 at the Texas Circuit Finals on Oct. 13 and two weeks later took home nearly $6,000 at the Cinch Roping Fiesta.
No. 13 Bodie Mattson, $12,387
Mattson won a check of more than $1,000 on his first five runs of the season and has won a check of more than $1,000 on 7-of-11 runs total this season.
No. 14 Caleb Smidt, $11,760
Smidt won all of his money before 2024 and he won’t be a factor in the World Standings much longer as the four-time World Champion announced his retirement from full-time rodeo earlier this year.
No. 15 Tom Crouse, $11,529
Fourth place finishes have been good to the 22-year-old this year. Doing so at the Prairie Circuit Finals (Oklahoma) and the Fort Worth Finals make up most of his 2024 earnings.
No. 16 Macon Murphy, $11,273
Murphy has won about half of his money this season in Florida. Those checks came from a third place finish in the Average a the Southeastern Circuit Finals in November and a win at the Homestead Championship Rodeo at the end of January.
No. 17 Austin Hurlburt, $10,655
The Nebraska cowboy is coming off a weekend in which he won $2,600 combined at rodeos in North and South Dakota. Before that, he hadn’t won a check since cleaning up at the Badlands Circuit Finals in October.
No. 18 Chris McCuiston, $10,528
McCuiston won more than $5,000 at Cook Rodeo Days and added $1,950 more at Las Vegas Days and $2,115 more in Rapid City. Those are this three biggest rodeos of the 2024 season.
No. 19 Shane Hanchey, $10,122
The 14-time NFR qualifier won two rodeos the Weekend of Oct. 14 and also won more than $5,000 for a second place finish in the Average at the Wilderness Circuit Finals.
No. 20 Zane Kilgus, $9,420
Kilgus made made more than $7,500 of his season earnings at the First Frontier Circuit Finals, which he won in the middle of January.
Standings via ProRodeo.com are accurate as of Friday, Feb. 9 at 1 PM ET.
