TEXAN BECOMES FIRST COWBOY TO WIN THE $100,000 FIRST-PLACE PRIZE
GUTHRIE, Okla. – Trevor Brazile is the most decorated cowboy in ProRodeo history.
On Sunday afternoon, he added another prestigious championship to his trophy case, winning the Timed Event Championship of the World for a record seventh time. In the process, he pocketed $116,000 – most came in the form of the average title, which paid $100,000 for the first time ever; the rest he earned by having the two fastest go-rounds of this year’s competition.
“This is the event of the purist in my events,” said Brazile, who scored a 43.7-second second round Friday night and a 45.8 Saturday night. “I’ve always loved it. It means a lot just because of everything entails. It’s 25 head. It’s a fun contest.”
He utilized a steady approach to claim the top prize, outdistancing runner-up Paul David Tierney by 25 seconds.
“You’ve got a game plan when you come here,” he said. “I try not to back off too much. I try to be efficient, but not overly protective.
“I’ve had a two-year hiatus from here. Coming back, you always question it. I felt like I could do it still, but until you come and do it, you never know.”
He knows very well. Over his nearly two decades of competing in the “Ironman of ProRodeo,” Brazile has earned $751,500.
“Not just the money has made it better,” he said, referring to the winner’s payout doubling from $50,000. “I think it added more excitement and obviously there was more on the line, but I think this is the most even set of stock they’ve had. I think that helped keep it even throughout.
“This is probably the closest field I’ve seen. As a whole, it was keeping the pack together due to the quality of stock that was here. It let a guy do his job. There weren’t as many eliminators here as there has been.”
Still, the top players in this game were challenged.
“It was tough,” said Tierney, the reigning champion who has finished among the top two each of the past three years. “Everybody roped good, and having Trevor come back and being able to compete against him was good. He’s got to come back next year so we can have it out again.”
He was one of two Tierneys to finish atop the standings. Older brother Jess, a four-time qualifier to the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping, placed third. Between them, the Tierneys collected $42,000. That’s pretty good for the sons of ProRodeo legend, Paul Tierney, a four-time Timed Event champion.
“This is just a great event, and you get to go up against guys like Trevor, K.C. Jones and Daniel Green,” Jess Tierney said. “It’s the best event all year. I hope I can be like dad and come here until I’m 60.”
RESULTS
AVERAGE: 1. Trevor Brazile, 290.7 seconds on 25 runs, $100,000; 2. Paul David Tierney, 305.6, $25,000; 3. Jess Tierney, 331.4, $15,000; 4. Josh Peek, 364.8, $10,000; 5. Clay Smith, 373.1, $7,500; 6. Kyle Lockett, 381.0, $5,000; 7. Erich Rogers, 384.0, $4,500; 8. Russell Cardoza, 407.5, $3,000.
FASTEST ROUND: 1. Trevor Brazile, 43.7, $10,000; 2. Trevor Brazile, 45.8, $6,000; 3. Kyle Lockett, 48.7, $5,000; 4. Russell Cardoza, 51.1, $4,000; 5. Erich Rogers, 51.6, $3,000; 6. Jess Tierney, 52.8, $2,000.
TOTAL MONEY: 1. Trevor Brazile, $116,000; 2. Paul David Tierney, $25,000; 3. Jess Tierney, $17,000; 4. Josh Peek and Kyle Lockett, $10,000 each; 6. Clay Smith and Erich Rogers, $7,500; 8. Russell Cardoza, $7,000.