With more than $1,600,000 on the line, The Governor’s Cup was the last chance to earn major money before the regular season officially ends on Wednesday. The contestants gave their best efforts to take home their share of the richest Governor’s Cup yet. Four Arena Records were set, amongst a sea of top-notch performances.

NFR dreams were made and lost in Sioux Falls, and the race for a Gold Buckle got narrower in almost every event.

Here’s what you missed from The Governor’s Cup last weekend:

Bareback Riding:

Clayton Biglow dominated the Bareback event and secured his 9th career NFR qualification, his first since 2023. Biglow won three rounds, including the Semifinal and Final Rounds. Biglow improved with each ride and peaked in the finals with an arena-record 90.75 on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Ranch & Crow. It was the first 90+ point ride in Governor’s Cup history and also his first 90+ point ride this season.

Biglow earned $46,533 and jumped from 15th to 9th place with over $170,000 in season earnings.

Besides Biglow, Garrett Shadbolt and Jayco Roper moved up in the standings. Shadbolt moved from 12th to 10th, and Roper from 13th to 11th.

The Bareback event was the only event in Sioux Falls where all 12 contestants were already inside the top-15.

Steer Wrestling:

Dalton Massey won the Steer Wrestling event at The Governor’s Cup. He began hot, winning the First Round with a 3.4. He was sub-4.0 in three of his four outs, including the Final Round, where he was 3.7.

Massey entered Sioux Falls ranked 18th and hadn’t made any money yet in September. However, he left with $46,533 and is now in the top-5. Massey will make his 3rd career NFR after missing last year’s.

Jesse Brown was the only other constant to go sub-4.0 in three rounds.

Brown finished in 2nd and earned $43,433, surpassing Tyler Waguespack as the new World Steer Wrestling Leader heading into the NFR. Brown also broke Waguespack’s record for the richest Steer Wrestling regular season in ProRodeo history, with $236,548.

Brown will make his 7th straight NFR.

Rowdy Parrott had an excellent Cup performance. He earned $26,200 and jumped from 10th place into 5th, now with $149,682 in season earnings.

Team Roping:

Duos Tyler Tryan and Nicky Northcott and Jake Long and Andrew Ward were the only teams able to produce times in all four of their outs. Every other team had at least one round finish without a qualified time, and 15 of the 36 total outs in Sioux Falls were unqualified.

Tryan and Northcott beat out Long and Ward in the Finals 4.4 seconds to 4.6, and were crowned Governor Cup Champions. They jumped Korbin Rice and Cooper Freeman in the standings and are now each 2nd in the World Header/Heeler standings.

It will be both Tryan’s and Northcott’s first career NFR appearances.

Dawson and Dillon Graham took home a crucial $10,767 each, which got them both off the bubble and inside the top-15.

Saddle Bronc Riding:

2025 World Saddle Bronc Champion Statler Wright put together an incredible event finish that got him qualified for his 3rd straight NFR.

Wright entered Sioux Falls in 18th place and nearly $27,000 behind the cut line. He narrowly made the Semifinals, where he was 86.75 and finished 2nd. In the Finals, with his season on the line, Wright was 90.75 on Smith Pro Rodeos’ Ozark to win the event and set a new arena record in the process.

Wright won $35,567, bringing his season total to $159,161,97 and putting him in 13th place.

The top of the Saddle Bronc standings saw some changes, as Zeke Thurston shot up to 2nd place. He finished 2nd in the rodeo, but won $44,800. Thurston’s now less than $4,000 behind World Saddle Bronc Leader Rusty Wright. The top four riders, including Stetson Wright and Ryder Wright, are separated by less than $9,000 heading into the NFR.

Tie-Down Roping:

Riley Webb won Round 2 and set a new arena record in the Semifinals before charting a no-time in the Finals. He was 7.2 in Round 2, and then a blazing-fast 6.6 seconds in the Semifinals to break the arena record in Sioux Falls. It was the closest Webb had been to hoisting The Governor’s Cup, but he dislocated his shoulder in his Finals run. Webb still has a near $75,000 lead over 2nd-place Haven Meged, who won the rodeo.

After scraping by the first three rounds, Meged was 7.7 seconds to win the Finals. He beat 2nd-place Cory Solomon by a full 1.1 seconds

Meged earned $38,700 and will enter his eighth straight NFR since becoming World Champion in 2019.

Solomon and Buck Calhoun finished 2nd and 3rd in the Finals. Both were on the bubble entering Sioux Falls, but left with over $26,000 each and are now in 10th and 12th, respectively.

It’ll be Solomon’s 11th NFR, and Calhoun’s first, barring no changes.

Barrel Racing:

Andrea Busby was the only Barrel Racing contestant at Sioux Falls who entered the event outside the top-15, in 19th place. She won the event and $34,000, which got her into the top-15. Busby just barely qualified for the Semifinals, which she won with a 13.96-second run. She won the Finals by .02 seconds over Emily Beisel, with a 14.02-second run.

Hayle Gibson-Stillwell won $23,300 and became the new World Barrel Racing Leader. She passed Carlee Otero, who uncharacteristically earned $0 in Sioux Falls. Emily Beisel also passed Otero. She earned $29,133 and is now in 2nd place.

Steer Roping:

4x World Steer Roping Champion Cole Patterson won The Governor’s Cup with an event-fastest 8.8-second run in the Finals.

He won three rounds in total, including the second and Semifinal Rounds. He won $19,200 in total and jumped Taylor Santos in the World Standings, becoming the new World Steer Roping Leader with $119,249.

Bull Riding:

A Bull Rider had been 91.5+ once in each of the last three rodeos at Sioux Falls, but had yet to reach 92 points. That was until John Crimber scored 92 on Stockyards ProRodeo’s Seek and Destroy to win the Semifinals.

Crimber won $35,400, but not the event, finishing 2nd in the Finals.

Noah Lee won the event and $46,533. He was 90 twice, including a 91-point score on New West Rodeo Productions’ Cowboy Kool in the Finals. He now has 20 90+ point scores this season.

Lee brought his season earnings to $405,041 and became the first ProRodeo athlete in history to surpass $400,000 in regular season earnings in a single event. He’ll enter the NFR with a near $80,000 lead over Tristen Hutchings.

Breakaway Roping:

Josie Conner won the Breakaway Roping Finals with a 1.9-second run. She was an event-fastest 1.7 to win Round One, but had a no-time in Round Two. She was one of five contestants to record a no-time in the Long Rounds, but was the only one to qualify for the Semifinals. She earned $44,967 in Sioux Falls and jumped into 2nd place in the World Standings.

Martha Angelone and Bradi Good tied for 2nd in the Finals with 2.4-second runs each. They entered the event in 18th and 15th, respectively, but each left the event $21,500 richer and safely inside the top-15.