𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 and 𝗟𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻 have added $35,000 to their pocketbooks this weekend, taking the 2023 Governor’s Cup title. Proctor nailed the start and had a good shot right away that he took easily. Medlin took the first shot he had, and it was quick. They were 3.4 seconds, the fastest run of the weekend, to take home the $25,000.

Second place might not always be a big win for some, but it was HUGE tonight for 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 and 𝗝𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴. Summers needed to place no worse than second in tonight’s four-man round to qualify for the 2023 NFR. They did exactly that with a 3.6-second run, both taking home $19,000. Summers threw some line, and Long took a fast throw. Summers is now in for the Finals with Long.

What a way to end the year for 𝗧𝘆𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗱𝗲 and 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗽: on a roll. Wade and Thorp finished third overall with a 3.7, pocketing $12,000 a man. Wade came with a big swing to put be able to throw on his second, and Thorp made it look easy on the heel side. Wade and Thorp will finish out the regular season as No. 2 in the world for Wade and No. 1 for Thorp on the heel side.

𝗟𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 and 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗼𝗰𝗵 may not have made it work in the arena, but they aren’t leaving Sioux Falls empty-handed. Brown and Koch still finished with $6,000 in the round, and (unofficially) qualified for the Finals.

Round of 4 results

ROUND OF 8

The eight-man round of the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls was a nail biter with some bubble teams capitalizing big. Luke Brown and Hunter Koch, Clint Summers and Jake Long, Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp and Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin all moved on to the four-man round.

𝗟𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 and 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗼𝗰𝗵 wowed the crowed with a blazing 3.5-second run. Brown and Koch both exposed themselves in this big run, wasting no time and winning the round to advance to the four-man round.

𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 and 𝗝𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 made a BIG run. And how about that heel shot? Long really had one shot to be fast enough to make it back, he took it and let’s just say it was rank. Summers and Long did what they absolutely had to do and that was advance. They were 3.7 to finish second in the round of eight to move on to the four-man.

𝗧𝘆𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗱𝗲 and 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗽 have remained dominant. Wade got his swing up and going fast out of the box and the rest followed suit. They were 4.0 to advance.

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 and 𝗟𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻 were also 4.0 to move on to the four-man round. Proctor knocked the start out, and they both stayed aggressive throughout the run.

The road ends here

Brenten 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹 and 𝗣𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘆 started the round of in a solid way with a 4.9. But unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough to hold. Hall got a good start, and they had a good steer, but he was on the slower end in the handle, slowing things down a touch. Bray threw a good, quick loop.

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘁 and 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝘆 broke the barrier before being flagged out for a crossfire.

Derrick Begay and Colter Todd shocked us all when Begay’s loop went on and came right back off.

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵 and 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗯𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲 were also unable to connect on the head side.

All four teams were awarded $2,500 a man.

Advancing

ROUND 2

Round 2 of the inaugural Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls had everyone on their toes with a new pen of steers and some plot twists.

All eyes were on 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 and 𝗟𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻 tonight. The team is $10,000 richer after going 4.6 to win Round 2. Proctor was right on the start and Medlin heeled their steer strong to best the field. With a 9.2 on two head, Proctor and Medlin are advancing to Saturday’s eight-man round right behind Begay and Todd.

Derrick Begay and Colter Todd have been on an exciting heater, and we hope it keeps rolling. Begay showed his veteran status, staying patient as their steer stirred in the chute. Both Begay and Todd took solid shots without wasting any time. They finished second in Round 2 with a 4.7 and took the lead in the aggregate with an 8.8 on two steers. They’ll lead the pack into tomorrow’s eight-man.

You can tell 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘁 and 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝘆 want to make their first NFRs. Theriot and Curry split third and fourth in the round with a 5.3, making a businessman run. Theriot rode in there and made sure he got one caught, and Curry followed it up with a smart, but quick, heel shot. They’re 9.6 on two head and moving on to the clean-slate round of eight tomorrow.

After coming up short last night, Coy Rahlmann and Jonathan Torres finally got a piece of the pie. Rahlmann didn’t hold back, taking an impressive shot, and Torres followed it up by heeling a nasty steer by two feet. They split third and fourth in the round with a 5.3. Unfortunately, their 5.3 on one steer will not advance them to Saturday, begging the question of where will they end up in the world standings?

Still Alive

𝗟𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 and 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗼𝗰𝗵 made a very smart run. Koch took a smart shot, making sure they knocked another steer down. Their 5.6 tonight may have been out of the money, but it put them at 15.6 on two head which means they’re moving on to the eight-man round tomorrow.

𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 and 𝗝𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 have two steers down, keeping Summers in the hunt for the NFR. In Round 2, Summers roped their steer around the neck, and Long came up one leg short, turning in a 10.4 for the team. They’ll advance to the eight-man round fourth with a 15.2 on two head. Summers and Long will need to advance to the four-man round for Summers to have a shot at the Finals.

𝗧𝘆𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗱𝗲 and 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗽 started the round off, coming in with $5,000 from winning third last night with a 4.0-second run. But TWade took just too good of a start, catching the barrier turning their 4.1 tonight into a 14.1. They’ll still sneak into the round of eight tomorrow with their 18.1 on two head. And good news—tomorrow’s a clean slate.

𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵 and 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗯𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲 slipped right on into the Top 15 in the world standings after winning the first round last night with a 3.6 for $10,000 a man. Tonight was a different story, however. The team came up short on the heel side, resulting in a no time. But, PLOT TWIST. Their 3.6 from Round 1 will still put them into the top eight, moving them on to tomorrow’s clean-slate round of eight.

Brenten 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹 and 𝗣𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘆 had a night much different from last. Hall was unable to connect on the head side, resulting in a no time. Thankfully, though, their 3.9 from the first round was able to still advance them to Saturday’s eight-man.

Didn’t see that coming

Tanner Tomlinson and Patrick Smith looked like they were going for the round. Tanner threw some line on a harder-running steer, but they came up short a leg, turning a 3.6-second run into an 8.6. Unfortunately, their Sioux Falls trip comes to an early finish as they will not advance on to Saturday’s round.

The reigning world champs haven’t had the trip they were looking for, not what we expected. Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira were 8.9 with a leg tonight in the second round on a steer that didn’t look to handle easily. They won’t be moving on to Saturday’s clean-slate round, but we’ll be seeing them in Vegas come December, and we look forward to what they’ll do there.

Nelson Wyatt and Ross Ashford have had a rough go in Sioux Falls, coming up short both nights. As so, they will not be advancing to Saturday’s round. Wyatt will make his second NFR appearance come December.

Round 2 Results

Advancing to Saturday

ROUND 1

𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵 and 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗯𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲 were on the bubble coming into 𝗦𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘅 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 for the 2023 Governor’s Cup and knew they needed to capitalize. They wasted no time getting the ball rolling. They were 3.6 seconds to win the first round and both take home $10,000. According to our calculations—𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭—Smith should now be No. 10 in the world standings with $100,598.76 won on the year and Payne should be No. 11 with $95,663.46 on the heel side.

“I wasn’t nervous; I was ready to run that steer,” Smith said. “We’ve been talking about that steer for a month. You put a lot into that steer and then at the time, you really just have to think it’s literally like no barrier and just turn the steer. You couldn’t overthink it. I was just wanting to get it for Coleby; it’s not right if a guy makes it and his partner don’t. I was sure glad to make a good run.”

*𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘜𝘕𝘖𝘍𝘍𝘐𝘊𝘐𝘈𝘓.*

Welcome to the Top 15, Brenten Hall.

𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹 and 𝗣𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘆 were the first team out and finished second in the round with a 3.9-second run, landing them both a $7,500-check. Hall should now have $94,180.56 won on the year to push him from No. 18 to inside the Top 15, and Bray should have $96,051.30, bumping him deeper in the Top 15.

READ: Keeping Up with the 2023 Governor’s Cup

Oh, and what about our possible world title contenders?

𝗧𝘆𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗱𝗲 and 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗽 ended up third in the round with a 4.0, both taking home $5,000. TWade should remain No. 3 in the world, now with $142,941.67, and Thorp remains No. 2 on the heel side with $160,168.94.

Don’t forget Derrick Begay and Colter Todd, also possible world title contenders. They both are taking home $2,500 for fourth in the round with a 4.1-second run. Begay should still be No. 5 in the world after tonight, now with $128,059.86, and Todd should remain at No. 3, now with $143,227.06.

Keep in mind…

With Smith and Payne moving up in the standings after tonight, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘁 and 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝘆 will more than likely drop in the world standings. 𝘽𝙐𝙏… they got the win in Pasadena, Texas, to give them some defense. They also were 4.3 tonight, meaning they are solid in the aggregate heading into tomorrow’s second round. Another clean, solid run can move them on to Saturday.

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 and 𝗟𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻 also made a solid run, finishing right behind Theriot and Curry with a 4.6. Proctor should be No. 11 now with $98,487.42 and Medlin should remain No. 9 with $98,487.42.

Another bubble team knocking one down, 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 and 𝗝𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 were 4.8 seconds. And though they were out of the round money, they set themselves up nicely in the aggregate. Summers should still be No. 19 with $81,018.02, and Long should now be No. 12 with $95,023.57.

𝗟𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 and 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗼𝗰𝗵 didn’t have the run they were needing, slipping a leg and ending up with a time of 10.0 seconds. Brown should now be No. 15 with $91,775.50 and Koch No. 14 with $91,775.50. Having a time, though, in the first round could play out in their favor in terms of the aggregate and moving on to Saturday. As long as they can get another one down, they should advance to the eight-man round.

Uh Oh

Nelson Wyatt and Ross Ashford came up short tonight, not able to connect on the head side. Wyatt is No. 2 in the world standings with $145,083.21, and Ashford is No. 23 on the heel side with $77,047.05.

Coy Rahlmann and Jonathan Torres needed to keep the ball rolling and capitalize as much as possible this weekend, but were unable to get the job done tonight. Rahlmann roped their steer around the neck and lost his rope. After tonight, Rahlmann should be No. 18 with $87,352.31 and Torres should be No. 15 on the heel side with $91,159.03.

Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira and Tanner Tomlinson and Patrick Smith are in the same boat. Both teams were unable to stop the clock tonight but both are safe for the 2023 NFR. Driggers and Nogueira lead the world standings with $160,185.89. Tomlinson is No. 8 on the head side with $118,705.98, and Smith is No. 7 on the heel side with the same amount.

Round 1 Results