The steer wrestling World Championship runs through Jacob Talley this year. The Louisiana cowboy finished No. 1 in the world this year by about $25,000 over Jesse Brown ($92,358).
Talley ($117,256) has held the No. 1 spot since winning RFD-TV’s The American in early March, but he will obviously have plenty of competition in Las Vegas.
Eight-time NFR qualifier Dakota Eldridge ($81,784) and 2017 World Champion Tyler Pearson ($81,609) and two-time World Champion Tyler Waguespack ($76,443) are all in the Top 6.
Eldridge’s eight appearances are tied for the most of any other cowboy in the field along with No. 9 Stockton Graves ($71,223), who is making his first appearance since 2011, and Curtis Cassidy ($64,548), who qualified No. 15. Cassidy and Graves have both qualified for the NFR in three different decades.
The most unexpected qualifier of the bunch was No. 11 Riley Duvall ($68,383), who entered the ProRodeo Tour Finale outside of the Top 20, but won the event (and $16,207 in the process) to leap up to No. 11 in the final PRCA World Standings.
No. 10 Dirk Tavenner ($69,049), No. 12 Cody Devers ($67,715) and No. 14 Tristan Martin ($67,715) are the first-time qualifiers in the steer wrestling.
ALL PRCA WORLD STANDINGS TOTAL ARE CURRENTLY IN AUDIT AFTER THE SEASON ENDED SEPT. 30, THESE STANDINGS ARE UNOFFICIAL.
