ProRodeo Sports News - November 2, 2018

RODEO ROUNDUP CinchWorld’sToughest Rodeo Saddle bronc rider Jake Finlay is nearly done getting his animal science degree fromOklahoma Panhandle State University. But the Australian native isn’t nearly done rodeoing in the U.S.

Tie-down roper Tyson Durfey won more than $12,000 at the San Angelo (Texas) 65th Annual Cinch Roping Fiesta. Todd Brewer photo

Grand National Rodeo After missing much of the 2018 season due to injuries, bareback rider R.C. Landingham is back and feeling good. He showed that at the Grand National Rodeo in San Francisco when he won the average with 161 points on two head to qualify for The American. He had shoulder surgery Jan. 5 and wrist surgery March 2 and did not expect to return until January 2019. But Landingham placed second in the first round in San Francisco and won the second round with an 82.5-point ride on Rosser Rodeo’s Sky Blast. Landinghammade back-to-backWrangler NFR appearances in 2016 and 2017 before suffering the injuries. The SanAngelo 65thAnnual Cinch Roping Fiesta Throughout the 2018 season, tie-down roper Tyson Durfey battled for the top spot in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. Early in the 2019 season, Durfey is right back at it. Durfey, who will make his 11th trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in December, won $12,325 at the San Angelo (Texas) 65th Annual Cinch Roping Fiesta, Oct. 27-28, $10,000 of it coming from the average, where he clocked a time of 38.8 seconds on four head. Durfey also tied for third in the first round and placed fourth in the final round. The win has the 34-year-old fromWeatherford, Texas, out front in the early running to the 2019 season with $24,656. “With winning the All-American and the Roping Fiesta, it’s an amazing feeling to have nearly $25,000 this early in the season,” Durfey said.

Finlay, 23, won nearly $4,000 at the CinchWorld’s Toughest Rodeo in Indianapolis, Oct. 24-26. He took first with an 87-point ride onThree Hills Rodeo’s All Country to earn $2,792, then added another $1,000 by winning the bonus round Oct. 26 with another 87-point ride onThree Hills Rodeo’s PromNite. “There’s still a heck of a lot of rodeo to go,” said Finlay, of Goondiwindi, Australia, a town about four hours from Brisbane. “No point in getting ahead of myself, but it (the win) sure is nice. It gets me a few qualifications to getting into some big stuff at the start of the year.” Finlay is ninth in the Oct. 29 PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $6,334. NILE Pro Rodeo Bull rider Nevada Newman is off to a strong start for the 2019 season. Not only did he take home $4,176 from the NILE Pro Rodeo in Billings, Mont., but he also qualified for the semifinals for The American. Newman rode Powder River Rodeo’s Show Kitty for 88.5 points to win the bull riding. The American semifinals are Feb. 27-March 1 at the Cowtown Coliseum in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. The finals are March 2-3 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In 2018, Newman finished with $16,754, the most he’s won since 2014 when he earned nearly $27,000.

ProRodeo Sports News 11/2/2018

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