Shad Mayfield and Ty Harris are battling at the top of the 2024 PRCA World Standings—but ropers including Haven Meged and Marty Yates are gaining ground in what’s shaping up to be a World Championship contest for the ages.

New Fire for Marty Yates

Marty Yates was in unfamiliar territory during the 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo — watching from his home in Stephenville, Texas.

After nine straight trips to the Finals, Yates did not qualify, finishing 35th in the standings, but the veteran didn’t have much time to miss Las Vegas.

“I didn’t miss the Finals near as much as I thought I would,” Yates admitted. “But we had our new baby girl so that was new and fun and kept us busy so it worked out.”

Miley Yates made her appearance Nov. 14 and has quickly taken over for both Yates and his wife, Loni.

While being home with Miley was perfect, Yates did note that missing the big paydays available at the Finals was tough, particularly for a guy who usually wins multiple go rounds while there.

“I guess it did light the fire going into the winter,” Yates said. “You get accustomed to the same thing every year and when a wrench gets thrown into it, it really makes you appreciate the good times.”

A Yates with renewed fire spells trouble for the competition, and he has been comfortably inside the top 10 for most of the season thanks to a solid winter that included a memorable top three finish at RodeoHouston.

Marty Yates’ powerful late summer run

And it seems Yates has found another gear in the last two months. He won his first California Rodeo Salinas Championship, and backed that with a torrid run through Utah’s Pioneer week that saw him bank $29,000-plus to capture the Pioneer Week Top Hand Award. He also added the prestigious Spicer Gripp Memorial match and invitational ropings to his win pile to start August.

Already firmly entrenched inside the top 10, Yates continued to climb closer to world leader Mayfield thanks to an outstanding week during the third week of August.

Yates shared the win at the Horse Heaven Roundup Rodeo in Kennewick, WA, and added a No. 2 finish in Coeur D’Alene, ID, and a No. 3 finish at the Kitsap Stampede in Bremerton, WA, to bring his weekend haul to $16,396.

The biggest chunk came from Kennewick, where he won the first go round with a 7.4-second run and took fourth in the short round.

“The first run there, I knew I had a good calf and my horse worked,” Yates said. “It was just a really good run. The second one I had a great calf but I pulled him off his feet and it just took longer.”

That run was still in the 7-second-range at 7.8, but missed the money in a tough go round. Still, Yates went into the final round as the high call.

“In the short go, I had another good calf but I was backed in the corner and had to go at him because Haven went 7.0,” Yates said. “So, I knew to win it or stay high in the average, I had to hustle.”

Yates’ final run of 7.7 seconds tied him with Meged at 22.9 on three calves for the win.

Marty Yates’ horsepower

Yates gave credit to his mare, “Cyndy,” that he bought from Neil Dove back in January, not only for the weekend, but for the difference in his season over the past couple of years.

“I’ve ridden her most of the year,” he said of the 6-year old. “She’s a little green but I’ve rode her for about every big win I’ve had this year.”

“What’s amazing is that she’s not really the greatest on their heads but she’s probably the easiest I’ve had in awhile to score and rope on,” Yates explained. “I think I just have more confidence in that part of the game than I’ve had in several years and I’ve always said the most important part of calf roping is scoring and roping. I’ve drawn some good calves too, but I have to give credit for the big wins to her.”

With the big weekend, Yates moved to $145,310 on the season and he sits No. 6 in the standings. NFR No. 10 is a safe bet at this point, and Yates noted it feels good not to be on the bubble.

“That’s a terrible feeling having to watch the other guys go and trying to figure out how to stay positive,” Yates said, pointing to how tight the race remains with huge, season-impacting rodeos still on the schedule. (Like the CINCH Playoffs in Puyallup, Sioux Falls as well as the new rodeo in Mandan, North Dakota that falls in between the two).

“That rodeo is going to pay huge for first,” Yates said of Mandan. “It could definitely shake some things up.”

Though missing home with 5 weeks to go, Yates should get a bounce of positive energy when Loni and Miley re-join him on the road next week.

“I’m sure missing them since I came back out on the road,” Yates admitted. Loni is a competitor herself and has been traveling a bit this summer too, but Yates said they’ve been home since early August. “The all-night drives and travel was messing with [Miley’s] sleep routine, and it was hard on her mom too. But once things slow down a bit and we can just ease around some, they’re flying back up for Puyallup and Pendleton.”

Yates’ impending 10th NFR will be a different with Miley too.

“It’ll be a lot different,” he laughed. “I think it will cool having my little girl there to watch, even thought she’s still pretty little. Lots of new experiences.”

Bubble Status: Five Weeks to Go

The top 15 remained unchanged save for Quade Hiatt, who got bounced from No. 15 to No. 16 by Hunter Herrin.

The race for the final spots in Las Vegas is incredible — Herrin is holding the target spot right now with $80,832 but three guys are within $500: Hiatt is $101 back, Bryce Derrer is $192 and Macon Murphy is $483. Derrer benefitted from a big weekend, earning $5,706.

Rookie Cole Clemons holds down No. 12 with a big of breathing room over Herrin’s current No. 15 spot, about $15,000 ahead. But there’s just about $10,000 from Zack Jongbloed’s $86,587 in No. 13 to Brushton Minton’s $76,700 at No. 21.

The bad news for bubble guys like Murphy, Trevor Hale, Beau Cooper and Minton is that they won’t be roping at the NFR Playoff in Puyallup, and will have a tough road to get to Sioux Falls. Without those big money opportunities, they’ll need to capitalize on the big September rodeos left and probably scramble to some smaller ones too.

Weekend Roundup

Riley Pruitt has a pair NFRs on his resume and gave himself an outside chance at a another NFR Qualification with a big win in Tremonton, UT, at the Golden Spike Rodeo. His 7.3-second run was worth $5,499.

Pruitt also finished No. 3 in Kennewick, banking $12,289 on the weekend to move from 33rd to 22nd in the standings. He’s about $10,000 from the cutline for the NFR with the season winding down.

Meged continued his summer dominance by sharing the win both in Bremerton and Kennewick over the weekend. In Bremerton, he tied with all-around hand Paden Bray, with matching runs of 8.2 seconds. In Kennewick, he won the short go to end tied with Yates for the average win. All told, he won $11,063 for the weekend and sits No. 3 in the standings.

What’s Next

Labor Day marks the end of the summer, and most will spend the long weekend enjoying backyard barbecues and lazy days. But ProRodeo cowboys will be hustling for dollars at places like the legendary Ellensburg Rodeo, Walla Walla Frontier—both in Washinton—Days the Magic Valley Stampede in Filer, ID, the Lake County Round-up in Lakeview, OR, and the IPE & Stampede in Armstrong, BC.

The first three are among the last stops on the NFR Playoff Series. And while they won’t help secure anyone’s spot into Puyallup, they could help them get to the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on the final weekend of the regular season.

There are just six rodeos left on the Playoff Series—plus Puyallup—for competitors looking to lock up a spot at that $1 million rodeo.

Beyond the big Northwest rodeos, there are offerings from Palestine, IL, to Okeechobee, FL, to Socorro, NM, from which to choose.

PRCA World Standings as of August 27, 2024