A $45,000 Cowboy Christmas Run for This Tie-Down Roper Solidifies World Standings

After having an incredible winter run, this tie-down roper put an exclamation point on his season over Cowboy Christmas.

Ty Harris, right, competes in the tie down roping event. / Colin Murphey / San Angelo

Watching Rodeo Houston, one of the best stories that emerged was the rope off between the Harris brothers. Same horse, same rope but just one would leave with the coveted $50,000 prize.

Making a business man's run after watching his brother break the barrier, Ty Harris took home the win.

Even though it didn't propel him to the top of the World Standings, he went to a solid place at second. Shad 'Money' Mayfield has been having a dream season - truly one that only comes around a few times. That part hasn't changed.

Mayfield is still sitting at the top of the World Standings in the tie-down with nearly $164,000 won as of the time of publishing. The Clovis, New Mexico man also leads the All-Around World Standings after winning money in the steer roping. In that position, he leads the field by almost $100,000.

Harris though, is staying hot on Mayfield's heels and certainly making the Tie-Down Roping World Championship race interesting. When some thought Mayfield would just outrun the field, Harris had other plans.

To date, the San Angelo, Texas man sits number two in the standings with $146,844 behind Mayfield's $163,890. Sure, that $50,000 bonus at Houston helped, but Harris is staying hot. The 26-year-old never took his foot of the pedal over Cowboy Christmas.

Just taking a look back and starting in Greeley, Colo. at the Greeley Stampede, Harris won $8,091 for a sixth place finish in the first go, second in the finals and second in the average.

Then on to the Cody Stampede in Cody, Wyo. where he tied his calf in 8.2 seconds to gather the fourth place check and $5,245.

Prescott, Ariz. brought more success. He tied his first calf in 11.1 just to stay in the hunt. Then came back with an 8.8 second time and a first place finish in the second round for $2,482. The two runs together produced a third place check in the average for $3,164.

With a vengeance, Harris threw his hands up in 7.7 seconds at Mandan, North Dakota and spanked the competition. That championship added $4,829 to his standings.

On to St. Paul, Ore. where he ran two more calves. The 8.6 abd 8.7 second runs placed him solidly at number two in the average and earned him a total of $8,304.

Eugene, Ore., Basin City, Wash. and Oakley City, Utah all produced the same result. Harris on top for the win. Those three rodeos added another $14,409 to his bank account.

Looking over his results lately there has been one rodeo that he did not win a check - Livingston, Mont. One out of nine that were reviewed.

In total, from our unofficial calculations, Harris won $44,993 over those nine rodeos. That certainly didn't hurt his bid at a World Championship.

Those kind of odds are the ones that produce championships. They are often unheard of.