Governor's Cup Championship Sunday Field Set With $34,000 on the Line

The field has been narrowed from 12 to eight in each event and literally everything is on the line.

Junior Nogueira | Nathan Meyer Photography

Two rounds are complete at the CINCH Playoffs Governor’s Cup, but the biggest payouts have yet to be awarded.

The original field of 12 contestants in each event has now been reduced to the top eight in the aggregate through Friday and Saturday.

The action will be the kind that makes you hold your breath and sit on the edge of your seat inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The eight contestants on the roster today start with a clean slate. Nothing else matters except what happens today. Then the four best scores or times will advance to the final clean-slate championship round, where the likelihood is high that careers will be changed and dreams realized.

The PRCA regular season will conclude on September 30, and the format at Sioux Falls allows for one final opportunity to etch contestants' names into the 2026 National Finals Rodeo roster.

How Much Does the Governor’s Cup Pay Sunday?

Each event carries a purse of $166,667 in prize money and the biggest part of that is paid out on championship Sunday.

The four contestants who do not advance to the finals will each receive $4,500. The four who do advance won’t get that semi-finals guarantee but they will move forward to much more substantial money.

The Championship Round will pay:

• 1st $34,000
• 2nd $26,000
• 3rd $17,000
• 4th $9,000

That means every contestant who walks in the arena today is guaranteed at least a paycheck worth $4,500 and some could be looking at finalizing their trip to Vegas in December.

Here are the eight semifinalists in each event along with a few to watch.

Bareback Riding

Bareback riding | Nathan Meyer Photography

1. Cooper Cooke — 172.75 points
2. Jacob Lees — 171
3. Clayton Biglow — 170
4. Keenan Hayes — 169.5
5. Garrett Shadbolt — 168.5
6. Jayco Roper — 167
7. Jess Pope — 167
8. Bradlee Miller — 166.5

Clayton Biglow is doing his best to find his way to the top 15. He put on a show aboard Penthouse Pro Rodeo’s Sky Wars on Saturday, earning 86.5 points and the $12,533 payday.

Biglow now gets another opportunity on Sunday, along with Garrett Shadbolt and Jayco Roper, who are chasing the NFR as well.

Steer Wrestling

1. Jesse Brown — 7.6 seconds
2. Dalton Massey — 7.9
3. Cash Robb — 8.6
4. J.D. Struxness — 8.7
5. Rowdy Parrott — 9.0
6. Seth Peterson — 9.2
7. Justin Shaffer — 9.6
8. Tristan Martin — 9.6

Jesse Brown has been on fire, finding himself in the top spot in the average, but today that doesn’t matter. Everything starts over. Justin Schaffer could be one of the names to watch here. He is outside the Top 15, but the money available on Sunday could bolster him right into contention.

Team Roping

Junior Nogueria | Nathan Meyer Photography

1. James Arviso / Levi Lord — 8.5 seconds
2. Kaleb Driggers / Junior Nogueira — 9.6
3. Tyler Tryan / Nicky Northcott — 14.7
4. Jake Smith / Douglas Rich — 21.6
5. Lightning Aguilera / Ross Ashford — 4.1 on one
6. Dawson Graham / Dillon Graham — 4.2 on one
7. Cory Kidd V / Carson Johnson — 4.4 on one
8. Andrew Ward / Jake Long — 4.8 on one

Look closely here, and you can see it’s been difficult to get a steer captured at Sioux Falls. There are four of the eight coming into the semifinals on just one steer. On top of that, the time difference between first and fourth is 13 seconds.

Once again though, it doesn’t matter how they got here, the point is that they are in the arena today and everything starts over.

The NFR stakes are great for Dawson and Dillon Graham as well as Cory Kidd V and Carson Johnson. All four have been in the hunt for those final spots and today’s payout will make some significant changes to the World Standings.

Saddle Bronc Riding

1. Zeke Thurston — 173.75 points
2. Ryder Wright — 172.25
3. Kade Bruno — 170.75
4. Rusty Wright — 169.75
5. Wyatt Casper — 169.25
6. Waitley Sharon — 169.25
7. Statler Wright — 168.25
8. Stetson Wright — 168

Some of the biggest names in the sport will be nodding their heads in the saddle bronc riding. Zeke Thurston led the pack into the semifinals.

No one has more at stake here than Statler Wright. He is coming in outside of the Top 15 and still needs substantial money to make a late run at the NFR. But, go ahead and tell a Wright that a challenge is ahead and watch what happens.

Tie -Down Roping

Cory Solomon | Nathan Meyer Photography

1. Joel Harris — 16.1 seconds
2. Haven Meged — 16.9
3. Riley Webb — 17.0
4. Tyler Calhoun — 17.1
5. Trevor Hale — 17.1
6. Shane Hanchey — 17.9
7. Shad Mayfield — 18.4
8. Cory Solomon — 19.7

There is a lot on the line for these guys. Some are just looking to move closer to a world title, but for others, this could mean making it or staying home.

Cory Solomon is coming in holding the No. 15 position, while Tyler Calhoun had a goal of catching him. Both made the semifinals.

So did Shad Mayfield, who has been the comeback story of the year. He entered Sioux Falls in the Top 15, but he had some work to do to make sure he stayed there.

With $34,000 on the line, the NFR picture could look significantly different when the day is over.

Barrel Racing

1. Megan McLeod-Sprague — 28.05 seconds
2. Hayle Gibson-Stillwell — 28.11
3. Emily Beisel — 28.61
4. Tayla Moeykens — 28.75
5. Katelyn Scott — 28.80
6. Makenzie Mayes — 29.53
7. Andrea Busby — 33.12
8. Lisa Lockhart — 33.20

There is a strong possibility of a shake up in the bottom of the standings in the barrel race.

Makenzie Mayes, Tricia Aldridge, Latricia Duke and Andrea Busby have been busy. Duke didn’t make the roster at Sioux Falls, so she has been on the road to several rodeos this weekend looking to earn as much as possible to hold down her position.

Mayes and Aldridge have Andrea Busby in their rearview mirror, and she’s coming in hot. She took a barrel down with her first run at Sioux Falls, but as the cookie crumbles, she came back and made a run to advance to the semifinals.

Now, it all comes down to this.

Breakaway Roping

Hali Williams | Nathan Meyer Photography

1. Jordi Edens-Mitchell — 3.7 seconds
2. Hali Williams — 3.8
3. Danielle Lowman — 4.4
4. Bradi Good — 4.6
5. Martha Angelone — 4.9
6. Jackie Crawford — 6.2
7. Jill Tanner — 14.2
8. Josie Conner — 1.7 on one

This will be the fastest event of the rodeo, and you'd better be paying attention with a calculator in hand. Half the field is fighting for a spot in the Top 15.

Bradi Good came into the final weekend holding down the No. 15 position. Martha Angelone, Jackie Crawford and Jill Tanner are working hard to be in the conversation. All four advanced to the semifinals.

You can bet if you blink you will miss one of these gun slinging, roping ladies.

Bull Riding

1. Noah Lee — 178.75 points
2. Stetson Wright — 178
3. Hayden Welsh — 174
4. Luke Mackey — 172.75
5. Colten Fritzlan — 169.5
6. T.J. Gray — 166
7. Qynn Andersen — 90 on one
8. John Crimber — 89.75 on one

Here is where everyone can relax a bit. Every semifinalist is already in the Top 15. The focus here won’t be on making it, but rather on adding significant money toward a world title.