First-Time NFR Rough Stock Cowboys Make Noise Through Round 3

It may be their first year inside the Thomas & Mack arena but these first-year NFR qualifiers aren't going down without a fight.

Nathan Meyer Photography

We are officially three rounds into the National Finals Rodeo, and it wouldn’t be the biggest rodeo event of the year if there weren’t some shake-ups in the Thomas & Mack arena. This year, rookies are breaking out and proving to be the future of the sport. 

The Highs and Lows of the Rough Stock Rookie Race to the Top

Fernando Sam-Sin

Rough stock rookies came with something to prove, getting better and better each round. A breakout star of Round 3 was Waylon Bourgeois, taking home the win with an 88.75-point ride. It’s round wins like this that make the NFR so great, you never know who is going to come out on top of a round. He now sits in the top spot going into night four. 

Sam Peterson came into the arena with a fire under him in Round 3. He launched himself into the No. 2 spot with an 87.25-point ride, beating out some of the best of the best in bareback riding, including the No. 1 bareback rider in the world Rocker Steiner. 

These rookies are at the top of their game in the first three rounds of the bareback riding. Despite their success, one rookie who continues to struggle is Jacek Frost. He’s holding his own but remains out of the top 10 night after night. 

From Bareback to Bull Riding, Rookies Aren't Giving Up Without a Fight

Mallory Beinborn for PRCA

While the bareback rookies are inching their way to the top, those taking to the Thomas & Mack arena for saddle bronc riding aren’t fairing the same fate. After finishing second in Round 1, Weston Patterson led the charge in Round 3, coming out strong with an 83.5-point ride, which is well done but not enough to land him a check.

Rookie Q Taylor remains outside of the top 10 night after night, landing in the 11th spot, but after suffering a penalty, his Round 3 ride led to a zero, which means there’s nowhere to go but up for the cowboy during the rest of the NFR. 

Bull riding is full of athletes in Vegas for the first time this season, although rookies like Hudson Bolton, Luke Mackey, Jesse Petri, and  Mason Moody came out strong in Round 1, a few have fallen short in rounds two and three. Mackey pulled ahead in the rookie race in Round 2, landing in No. 5 and earning himself his second straight NFR check. 

By Round 3, every rookie, with the exception of Qynn Anderson, failed to make the 8-second mark. The pressure of the Thomas & Mack arena can be a lot on these first-year qualifiers, but with seven rounds left to go, there is still plenty of time to improve. 

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