Jeremy Buhler has created a bit of separation between him and the field after taking RodeoHouston and having a strong overall showing during the Texas Swing.
Here is a look at the top 20 in the PRCA Team Roping Heeler Standings and how their seasons have gone thus far.
1. Jermey Buhler, $75,148
Buhler built his lead by taking the title at RodeoHouston with a 5.5-second run in the finals. Richard and his partner, Rhen Richard placed in six of seven rounds at RodeoHouston and have been in first place since.
2. Buddy Hawkins, $50,013
Hawkins has finished inside the top seven three seasons in a row and is on pace to do the same in 2023. Ward roped himself to a win at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo with a 3.9-second run to earn over $10,000.
3. Levi Lord, $47,824
Lord can thank a win at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo for his No. 3 standing. Lord and his partner Dustin Egusquiza took the rodeo with a 4.1-second run and earned over $22,000 at the rodeo in total.
4. Justin Davis, $44,266
Davis was great during the Texas Swing. He Took second in San Antonio after a 4.3-second run in the finals and followed that up with another second-place finish at RodeoHouston after a 9.9-second run.
5. Junior Nogueira, $41,453
Nogueira does not have the singular big paycheck during the Texas Swing, but he has been as consistent as they come. He earned over $10,000 in San Antonio, over $17,000 in Fort Worth, and another $4,000 in San Angelo.
6. Cole Curry, $38,157
Curry earned his biggest payday during the Texas Swing at RodeoHouston where he placed third to earn $10,000 in the Finals alone. He also had a strong showing at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo where he earned over $10,000 in total.
7. Wesley Thorp, $35,750
Thorp placed third at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo thanks to a 5.4-second run. He placed in three other rounds at the rodeo and earned over $10,000 total in Fort Worth.
8. Billie Jack Saebens, $35,088
Saebens paced second in Fort Worth with a 4.6-second run and earned $8,800 in that run alone. Outside of Fort Worth, Saebens earned $6,500 in San Antonio after placing in two rounds.
9. L.J. Yeahquo, $31,490
L.J. and brother J.C. Yeahquo saved their best for last as they took the San Angelo Rodeo by going 3.9 seconds in the Finals and 12.3 seconds on aggregate to win both titles. The win earned them around $15,000 in total.
10. Patrick Smith, $29,599
It was all about consistency for Patrick Smith over the Texas Swing. While he didn’t get the singular check that can change a season, he and his partner, Tanner Tomlinson, did compile 12 checks of at least $1,000 during the Swing, his biggest coming at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo where he won over $4,000 in the Finals alone with a fifth-place finish.
11. Corey Hendrick, $26,094
Hendrick had his biggest payday of the season in San Angelo where he placed fourth in the Finals and fourth in the average. In total, he would walk away with over $5,500 earned.
12. Hunter Koch, $24,036
Koch has Rodeo Austin to thank for his current ranking in the PRCA World Standings. He placed second in the Finals and earlier in the rodeo won Round 2. The showing earned him over $12,000, which amounts to half of his season earnings.
13. Paden Bray, $23,457
Bray had a strong showing at two of the major rodeos over the Texas Swing. He placed in five rounds in Houston, which included winning the opening two rounds of his bracket and placing fourth in the Finals. Overall Bray earned over $13,000 in Houston. He backed that up with a second-place finish in Round 2 in San Angelo to earn another $4,800.
14. Brady Minor, $22,613
Minor has not cashed a check over $1,000 in his last eight performances, but a consistent showing during the Texas Swing still has him inside the top-15. The Minor brothers had a nice showing at RodeoHouston where he placed in three rounds to earn $6,500.
15. Tyler Worley, $22,361
Worley was great at Rodeo Austin, winning the rodeo with a 5.2-second run. Earlier in the rodeo, he placed fifth in the second round. In total, he took home over $12,000.
16. Jake Long, $21,867
Long has struggled of late, but a $5,000 payday at RodeoHouston kept him on the bubble.
17. Sid Sporer, $20,977
Sporer’s last check came at the Southeastern Livestock Exposition after a fourth-place finish earned him $2,300.
18. Trey Yates, $20,716
Yates rose in the standings on the last leg of the Texas Swing. He placed second in the Finals and third in the average at the San Angelo Rodeo to win over $9,000.
19. Jonathan Torres, $20,335
Torres placed second at the Southeastern Livestock Exposition to take home over $3,000. He also earned just under $7,000 at RodeoHouston.
20. Caleb Hendrix, $19,809
Hendrix had a nice showing at RodeoHouston where he won $6,500 after winning two rounds and placing in a third.