BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
Hunter Cure was not sure if his sixth NFR appearance would ever happen.
After making it to Vegas in consecutive years in 2018 and 2019, he battled concussions and the general wear and tear of being a bulldogger in his late 30s and missed the NFR in 2020 and 2021. In a March article with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Cure, 38, was open about the fact that he is likely going to call it a career soon.
Retirement will have to wait at least one more year, though, as Cure accumulated $109,529 to sit No. 5 in the World Standings at the end of the 2022 regular season. With less than $26,000 of ground to make up on No. 1, he is well within striking distance of his third Gold Buckle.
BIGGEST PAYDAYS
RodeoHouston $57,000
Cure won more than half of his money for the 2022 season at one rodeo, but in Houston, he picked the right one to be at his best. He won his Semifinal before cashing in for $50,000 with a 4 second flat run in the Championship Shootout. Cure became No. 1 in the PRCA World Standings afterward and held on to that spot for several months following his mid-March triumph inside NRG Stadium.
FASTEST RUNS
Guymon Pioneer Days, 3.2 Seconds
Cure turned the second-fastest run of the entire rodeo season Round 3 in Guymon. Only Tyler Waguespack’s 3.1-second run in Deadwood was faster. Cure had three runs of 4.6 seconds or faster at the event and finished second in the Average behind Tristan Martin.
Larimer County Fair & Rodeo, 3.5 Seconds
At the one-header in Loveland, Colorado finished second, one tenth behind the pace set by Dylan Schroeder.
NOTABLE WINS
Canby Rodeo, 7.8 Seconds on Two
Cure won Round 1 with a 3.6-second run, but was shutout of the money in Round 2 despite a 4.2-second run as 10 cowboys were 3.9 or faster in the round. Cure, of course, got the last laugh by splitting the win with Taz Olson and Cash Robb.
Lea County PRCA Rodeo, 8.2 Seconds on Two
Two weeks after his win in Canby, which came on Aug. 17, Cure got used to sharing the rodeo win. In Lea County, the title was split four ways as Tyler Waguespack, Tyke Kipp and DJ Joos all had an aggregate time of 8.2 seconds.
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