Marty Yates is familiar with the pressures of the NFR. This is his seventh consecutive appearance, and for the second time in his career, he has won the first round. The first time he took the top spot in the opening round was back in 2014, when he was just a rookie and posted a 7.4-second run.
Fast-forward to 2020 and he took home the top check after an impressive 7.1-second run.
“We started off with a bang,” Yates said after his run. “All of us didn’t know what to expect coming here to a different setup. It’s like 15 NFR rookies, but all of us loved it, we thought it was awesome, a new change and obviously, it was great for me winning a round, and I get to be back here nine more nights.”
MARTY YATES, 7.1 SECONDS, ROUND 1
Yates currently sits in second place in the World Standings, and that is likely to be the highest he will be able to finish, barring a massive showing at the NFR.
Shad Mayfield placed second in round one with a 7.5-second run and still sits nearly $100,000 ahead of Yates in second.
NFR TIE-DOWN ROPING RESULTS:
1. Marty Yates, 7.1 Seconds, $26,231; 2. Shad Mayfield, 7.5 Seconds, $20,731; 3. Ty Harris, 7.8 Seconds, $15,654; 4. Caddo Lewallen, 8.1 Seconds, $11,000; 5. (tie) Westyn Hughes and Cory Solomon, 8.3 Seconds and $5,500 each
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