After an exciting first two rounds, Round Three delivered just as much action. Here is your Round Three Recap presented by Mahindra.
Veteran steer wrestler Ty Erickson climbed the world standings leaderboard after a captivating Round Three performance. His 3.5-second run proved victorious among the elite field, earning him a trip to the coveted go-round buckle ceremony at the South Point Hotel & Casino alongside the 2025 NFR Round Three winners.
For Erickson, this $36,668 payday is crucial to his 2025 gold buckle campaign. After his Round Three victory, the Montana cowboy surged to No. 2 in the world standings—just $20,058 behind Will Lummus, who currently sits in the driver’s seat of the race as he pursues his first world title.
Cajun cowboy Waylon Bourgeois topped the bareback riding with an impressive 88.75-point ride atop Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Priefert’s Dusty Roads. This marks the NFR rookie’s first go-round buckle win—a memory sure to last a lifetime.
In other bareback riding news, Rocker Steiner secured a third-place check worth $21,882, further expanding his world standings lead to a stout $106,091 and increasing his total earnings for the 2025 season thus far.
In a thrilling three-way tie in the team roping, fans and athletes witnessed three 3.8-second runs electrify the Thomas & Mack Arena. Dawson and Dillon Graham, Lightning Aguilera and Kaden Profili, and Kolton Schmidt and Jonathan Torres shared the win, each pair earning $29,177. Notably, Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira secured a fourth-place check worth $15,377, positioning themselves at the top of both the heading and heeling world title races.
Two-time NFR qualifier Statler Wright earned the coveted Round Three go-round buckle in the saddle bronc riding with an impressive $36,668 payday aboard Smith Pro Rodeos’ Angel Cat. This win boosts him to seventh in the world standings with $238,002 earned in the 2025 season.
In a thrilling display of talent, Riley Webb defended his No. 1 position in the tie-down roping world standings after trading go-round wins with Shad Mayfield. With a quick 7.0-second run, Webb maintains a narrow lead—just $22,898ahead of Mayfield, who collected a fourth-place check worth $15,377 in Round Three.
Barrel racer Carlee Otero ran to the top of the Round Three results with a quick 13.54-second run. Otero entered the NFR at No. 7 in the world and has now moved up to No. 5.
In the bull riding, Idaho cowboy Tristen Hutchings delivered a redemption-worthy 90.0-point ride after two no-scores to start the NFR. Hutchings earned the win aboard Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Vitalix Smokin Hott.
With Round Three officially in the books, Cowboy Channel’s full coverage of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo continues daily at 4 p.m. Eastern. Tune in for a complete lineup starting with Deep Dive and Zero In presented by Cinch, followed by NFR Tailgate, Western Sports Roundup presented by Ariat, and Rodeo Live presented by Tractor Supply. The excitement continues with the Wrangler NFR at 8:30 p.m., NFR Final presented by Mahindra at 11:30 p.m., and the nightly NFR Buckle Ceremony at 12:30 a.m.
