Reigning World Champion Led the Pack in Round 3 NFR Tie-Down Roping

Seven cowboys tied their calves in under eight seconds. The results just add to the fire of the World Championship race.

Nathan Meyer Photography

The World Championship race in the tie-down roping is heating up and all eyes are on the top of the list. After three rounds, it is still certainly anyone's game but the two men at the top of the list are garnering the most attention.

Shad "Money" Mayfield came out swinging in the first two rounds. A smoking time of 6.8 seconds was good enough for the first -ound win for Mayfield. The winner's circle was crowded in Round No. 2 but one of the three who split the win included Mayfield.

The action in Round No. 3 remained outstanding when the reigning 2-time World Champion, Riley Webb took top honors.

Webb Reflects on Round 3

Riley Webb | Nathan Meyer Photography

After staying solid and certainly remaining in the hunt for this third consecutive title, Webb took full advantage of his draw in the third round.

"We got to tie those calves and I knew I wanted calf 67. When I found out that's what I drew, I was pretty excited to run him. I just executed and went fast. I think that was the loudest it's been in this building for me to tie a calf. The crowd got quiet during the tie inspection and then when that was over they erupted again. It was pretty fun," Webb said after his run.

While Webb might have drawn just the calf he wanted in Round 3, that likely was not the case in the first two rounds.

"Those calves were good, they were just a little slower handling calves. Tomorrow we start the reruns and that's always fun because everyone should know the calves and it should be fun from here on out."

The two-time World Champion is quick to give a lot of credit to his AQHA Horse of the Year. The 2013 AQHA gelding that Webb affectionately calls Rudy is by Metallic Cat and out of HA Gay Freckles.

"Rudy has just been great. I'm blessed to get to ride him here. I got to ride him all year this year which was a blessing. He got hurt last year at Greeley and I didn't get to ride him for most of the summer. This year it was a game-changer staying on Rudy for most of the year."

In order to earn the win in front of the packed Saturday night crowd, Webb had to go fast. He did just that. With a 7.3-second run already on the board and several times already in the 7-second range, Webb was cool under pressure.

When the clock stopped, the Denton, Texas man went right to the top of the field with a 7.0-second run. That's the spot he would stay through the entire round. Making short work of the situation at hand, Webb won $36,668 for his effort and put a little distance between himself and Mayfield who currently sits at No. 2 in the World Standings.

Full Round 3 Tie-Down Results

Third round:
1. Riley Mason Webb, 7.0 seconds, $36,668
2. Kincade Henry, 7.3, $28,980
3. Ty Harris, 7.4, $21,882
4. Shad Mayfield, 7.5, $15,377
5. (tie) Zack Jongbloed, Haven Meged and Riley Pruitt, 7.7, $5,126 each
8. Joel Harris, 8.0
9. Shane Hanchey, 8.7
10. Marty Yates, 8.9
11. Brushton Minton, 9.5
12. John Douch, 10.4
13. Tom Crouse, 16.0
14. Dylan Hancock, 18.2
15. Kyle Lucas, NT.

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