Lefty Holman Looks to Climb Back Into World Title Contention for Sixth NFR Berth

Cowboys who go for glory in saddle bronc riding know how hard each rodeo can be, and things can change for an athlete on a dime. Lefty Holman may have finished last year at the top of the leaderboard (finishing second in the NFR average), but now with less than three months to go in the 2026 regular season, the cowboy is at No. 14 in the world standings and looking to solidify his spot at the Thomas & Mack Arena come December.

No. 14 in the World

The 27-year-old cowboy out of Visalia, California has seen the National Finals Rodeo five times in his career, and has yet to secure the crown. With 2025 being his best season yet, there’s hope the cowboy can turn things around during Cowboy Christmas and move further up in the standings.

Unfortunately for the cowboy, with $88,883 earned so far, he’s nearly $20,000 outside of the top 10 and is less than $5,000 away from being nudged out of the top 15 all together. But if there’s one thing Holman knows how to do, it’s win big in clutch time.

Holman entered the NFR last year in a similar position to where he is now. Although he finished the season at No. 12 in the world standings, he worked his way to the top in order to finish second in the average. He placed in three rounds and won $123,552 in Las Vegas alone, proving he can make a lot of money in a short amount of time.

Sixth Time Is The Charm

If he enters the Thomas & Mack arena again this season, it will be for the fourth time in a row. Clearly, Holman knows what it takes to get there, so now he just has to make enough money to grab the title. So far this season, Holman has captured four championship titles, including the California Circuit Finals Rodeo and more recently the Greeley Stampede.

He had a good run at the Calgary Stampede last week as well as he took home a round three win and a massive $7,000 check. His rides have been consistently at the top and this 90-point ride secured him the win.

Holman is no stranger to scores that high, and although that marks his first 90 of the year, it’s no shock to see him score in the high 80s. As Cowboy Christmas continues and then into the rest of the regular season, Holman will have to pull in some more 90-point rides if he wants to take his sixth trip to the NFR and have a shot at besting the athletes in front of him.

Although Holman is over $100,000 away from Stetson Wright at the top of the leaderboard, there’s no telling who will come out on top until the lights go out in Las Vegas come December.

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