Derrick Begay did not enter the $166,667-a-side Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, S.D., to spend the final week of the 2026 ProRodeo regular season roping with Colter Todd, who sits 16th in the standings and $4,239 outside the NFR heeling cut, according to the rodeo’s daysheets.
The week that put Todd on the bubble
Begay and Todd won $28,016 a man across four rodeos Sept. 14–20.
At the Pendleton Round-Up in Oregon, they won the first round in 4.8 seconds for $7,179, were fifth in the short round in 8.5 for $828 and finished second in the average with 19.1 seconds on three head for $9,364. Clay Smith and Coleby Payne won the average by two-tenths of a second in 18.9.
At the North Dakota Roughrider Cup in Mandan, they were fourth in 4.1 seconds for $6,571. They split fourth at the New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo in Albuquerque in 4.9 for $2,664, and were fifth at the Lion’s Dixie Roundup in St. George, Utah, in 5.5 for $1,410.
The week moved Todd to No. 16 in the heeling world standings with $110,334. Dillon Graham holds No. 15 with $114,573. TRJ projects the final heeling cut at about $123,500, which leaves Todd $13,166 short of the projection.
What Begay is walking away from
The Governor’s Cup runs Sept. 25–27 with $166,667 added per side for 12 teams. Each of the first two performances pays $12,533, $9,400, $6,267 and $3,133 a man. Fifth through eighth in the semifinals pays $4,500. The finals pay $34,000, $26,000, $17,000 and $9,000.
Begay and Rich were one of three new teams in the field, with both their partners not qualifying. The field as TRJ reported it Sept. 21:
Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira; James Arviso/Levi Lord; Luke Brown/Hunter Koch; Garrett Tonozzi/Trey Yates; Tyler Tryan/Nicky Northcott; Andrew Ward/Jake Long; Cody Snow/Lane Mitchell; Cory Kidd V/Carson Johnson; Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham; Tanner Tomlinson/Coleby Payne; Derrick Begay/Douglas Rich; and Lightning Aguilera/Ross Ashford.
Now, Jake Smith will rope with longtime partner Doug Rich at Sioux Falls, while Begay will hit the road with Todd.
Where Todd is entered
Todd is entered at five rodeos in the last week of the season, according to PRCA trade lists as of Sept. 21. Trade lists are not draws, and turnouts and trades happen daily.
Tri-State Fair & Rodeo, Amarillo, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 24, slack, 8 a.m.; $6,000 added.
Young Living’s Last Chance Rodeo, Mona, Utah, Friday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m.; $7,250 added.
Poway Rodeo, Poway, California, Saturday, Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m.; $8,000 added.
Sheriff’s PRCA Rodeo, San Bernardino, California, Sunday, Sept. 27, 6 p.m.
377 Last Hoorah, Stephenville, Texas, Sept. 30; $37,500 added for 90 teams. A round win pays $4,194 a man and the aggregate pays $8,389, $7,294, $6,200, $5,106, $4,012, $2,918, $1,824 and $729. A perfect day is worth $22,204.
Those five rodeos carry $78,750 added per side. At the Last Hoorah alone, fourth in the aggregate would move Todd past Graham where both stand today. A round win without an aggregate check would leave him $44 short.
Where they’ve been
Begay and Todd, lifelong friends from Arizona, won the 2023 NFR average after deciding that winter to rodeo together, and Todd made his first Finals since 2008. “We’re just friends out here,” Begay told TRJ after that win. “I don’t even know what we’re doing.”
They won RodeoHouston for $71,750 a man in March 2025 and led the world standings that spring. Todd finished 16th in 2024, one spot outside the NFR, while Begay qualified.
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