BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN
Despite missing a majority of the last two months of the regular season with a hand injury, four-time World Champion Tuf Cooper still managed to qualify No. 5 for his 13th NFR in 14 years.
Prior to his injury, Cooper spent much of the season battling Shane Hanchey for No. 1 in the World Standings.
Cooper started his ascent to the top of the PRCA World Standings in March when he finished second in the Shootout Round at The American Rodeo and registered three straight times of 8.5 seconds or better at AT&T Stadium. After winning $25,000 there, he won over $7,000 the very next weekend for his 7.6-second run and first place finish at the Arcadia All-Florida Championship.
TUF COOPER AT THE AMERICAN
TUF COOPER AT ALL-FLORIDA CHAMPIONSHIP
In April, Cooper placed in all three rounds and won the San Angelo Rodeo with an aggregate total of 25.3 seconds on three head. He earned more than $20,000 there and was the only cowboy in any event to clear that mark. In the middle of San Angelo, Cooper had time to get to the Red Bluff Round-Up in California and won that rodeo as well with 35.8 seconds on four head which pocketed him another $8,221.
COOPER IN SAN ANGELO
After a relatively quiet May and June, Cooper won three times in the first 10 days of July.
He was 8.3 seconds at the Cody Stampede (Wyoming) to earn $10,671, 7.2 seconds at Oakley Independence Day (Utah) to win $8,037 and 7.5 seconds at the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo (Utah) to win $4,947. During Cowboy Christmas, he also won at round at the St. Paul Rodeo (Oregon) and placed in the Average there.
COOPER IN OAKLEY
Since 2012, Cooper has finished in the Top 5 six times and won two Gold Buckles. He has also finished with more than $200,000 six times and if he were to clear that mark for the season in 2021, he’d surpass $3 million in career earnings. He will need to win about $75,000 in Las Vegas to do so.
Cooper won a total of 11 Go-Rounds in 2021, the most he has a had in a season since 2017 when he finished No. 2 in the PRCA World Standings. He has won at least one Go-Round at the NFR in each of the last thee years.
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