Alabama’s TJ Allen and Kyle Lawrence came all the way from sixth call-back to win the average in the #14 Shoot-Out with a time of 29.04 seconds on four head, worth $41,000 at the United States Team Roping Championship’s Cinch National Finals of Team Roping.

“It feels amazing—words can’t describe it,” Allen said. “I missed a steer for my other partner and I felt kind of down on myself but when I caught for him (Kyle) and we were good, then I felt pretty good.”

“I’ve never done good here, so this is the first time that I’ve actually won something is probably 10 years—it feels great,” Lawrence, who won $200,000 at the George Strait Team Roping Championship with Dustin Egusquiza in 2016, said.

Allen made a horse swap with his brother for a palomino to turn all four steers for Lawrence.

“I swapped horses with my brother,” Allen said. “I felt like that horse fit me a little more than it fit my brother. I knew he was strong to the saddle horn but I knew that if I held him up then he would handle cattle good and Kyle could rope them fast.”

“I actually sold my good horse a few months ago so I’m riding my old horse,” Lawrence, who rode a 21-year-old gelding, said. “His name’s Playboy. It was good to be back on him.”

While some may let nerves overcome them with that much money on the line, Allen and Lawrence fought them off. 

“I was extremely nervous,” Allen said. “That was my first time ever getting back to a short round here for money.”

“I was a little nervous, but I knew that TJ was going to do his job,” Lawrence said. “I had roped good all day so I was feeling very confident. I didn’t think that we would win first.”

Lawrence also won some round money in Round 1 with Jaxson Tucker with a 6.07-second-run, worth $1,500.

When you ask these guys if they’ll ride their brand new Bob’s Custom trophy saddles, Lawrence said he’ll put his up in his house, and Allen has somewhere special to put his.

“My dad won one back in 1998, so I’m going to put mine right by his,” Allen said.