The curtain closed on the 2023 ProRodeo season Sept. 30, at the conclusion of the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, and the field for the team roping at the 2023 NFR WAS set as of Oct. 13, 2023.
However, on Nov. 20, the PRCA Grievance Committee voted to allow heeler Coleby Payne to take Tyler Worley’s spot at the 2023 NFR. The Team Roping Journal is closely following this story. If Payne is in fact competing at the 2023 NFR, he’ll enter it 13th in the world with $95,663 by TRJ calculations, as the standings have not updated on ProRodeo.com as of Nov. 23.
UPDATE: On Nov. 27, the PRCA Grievance Committee reversed its decision to allow Payne to count 76 rodeos toward his world standings and Tyler Worley, who finished 15th in the world heeling standings roping within the 75-rodeo limit, will rope at the 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Payne will finish the season ranked 17th after not being allowed to count an extra rodeo.
ProRodeo 2023 NFR Qualifiers
- Governor’s Cup Play-by-Play: Proctor, Medlin Victorious in Round of 4
- NFR within Clint Summers’ Striking Distance; Bubble Battles to Watch in Final Week of 2023 ProRodeo
| 1 | Kaleb Driggers | $160,185.89 | Wesley Thorp | $172,168.94 |
| 2 | Tyler Wade | $154,941.67 | Junior Nogueira | $160,185.89 |
| 3 | Nelson Wyatt | $145,083.21 | Colter Todd | $153,227.06 |
| 4 | Derrick Begay | $138,059.86 | Levi Lord | $136,979.70 |
| 5 | Dustin Egusquiza | $137,712.90 | Logan Medlin | $133,487.42 |
| 6 | Coleman Proctor | $133,487.42 | Jeremy Buhler | $123,483.95 |
| 7 | Rhen Richard | $123,483.95 | Paul Eaves | $120,045.37 |
| 8 | Erich Rogers | $119,694.05 | Patrick Smith | $118,705.98 |
| 9 | Tanner Tomlinson | $118,705.98 | Buddy Hawkins | $114,765.21 |
| 10 | Andrew Ward | $114,765.21 | Jake Long | $114,023.57 |
| 11 | Clay Smith | $103,098.76 | Paden Bray | $98,555.62 |
| 12 | Marcus Theriot | $102,109.14 | Hunter Koch | $97,752.47 |
| 13 | Jake Clay | $100,127.21 | Cole Curry | $94,986.72 |
| 14 | Clint Summers | $100,018.02 | Jonathan Torres | $94,909.03 |
| 15 | Luke Brown | $97,775.50 | Tyler Worley* | $93,983.17 |
Editor’s note: Our initial story on Sept. 30 indicated that Coleby Payne had qualified in the No. 12 spot; however, Payne had an issue with his rodeo count, and these standings have been updated as of Oct. 13 to include Tyler Worley at No. 15, with Payne dropping out of the top 15. We make every effort to vet the standings, compare notes on rodeo count and cross-reference probabilities to get the standings right and to keep team roping fans engaged and informed. We take our job seriously, but we cannot guarantee that things do not change as ProCom updates information on rodeo counts and payouts. We were almost wrong once—back in 2014 when Chad Masters and Kinney Harrell challenged Tom Richards and Cesar de la Cruz’s rodeo count—and that experience was traumatic enough. After Nov. 20, Senior Editor Kendra Santos penned a story updating the standings once more, indicating Payne is now inside the top 15. As previously stated, we’re following this story closely.
The 2023 NFR should see four three-timers: Marcus Theriot and Jake Clay on the head side and Cole Curry on the heel side.
Clint Summers‘ second-place finish in Sioux Falls was exactly what he needed to do to see the bright lights of Vegas again. Literally. He needed that $19,000-payday to push him inside the Top 15, and it did.
After 15 years, Colter Todd is making his return to the Thomas & Mack—this time on heel side.
We’ve also got some odd men out: Nelson Wyatt, Jake Clay, Clay Smith, Tyler Worley, Paden Bray and Jonathan Torres. We believe the pairings in NFR will be Wyatt and Torres, Smith and Bray and Clay and Worley.
