It was a fight to the finish for bareback rider Jacob Lees. After winning a Go-Round and placing in another, the first time National Finals Rodeo qualifier is your Exmark Roughstock Athlete of the Week.
Lees entered Sioux Falls as the No. 17 ranked bareback rider in the World and $7,045 outside of the Top 15.
Matched up with Adam’s Pet in Round 1, Lees put together an 85.5-point ride to finish second and earn $7,500. It kept getting better from there when he drew Championship Pro Rodeo’s The Crow in Round 2 to make an 86.5-point ride to split the Go-Round win and rake in another $8,750.
The two Go-Round checks pushed Lees into the Top 15 and he capped it off by placing sixth in the Eight-Man Round to add another $2,500 to his earnings. One Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup later and Lees has unofficially locked in his place inside the Top 15 and is heading to Las Vegas this December.
Lees is a first-time NFR bareback rider and your Exmark Roughstock Athlete of the Week.