Bull Rider Noah Lee Finishes Incredible Season with Governor's Cup Win

The 18-year-old bull rider is headed to his first NFR.

Noah Lee | Nathan Meyer Photography

Several rookie cowboys have qualified for the National Finals Rodeo over the years, but few have done so while ranked No. 1 in the world.

Noah Lee did just that this season. The 18-year-old rookie just put an exclamation point on his remarkable season as he won The Governor's Cup in Sioux Falls, S.D., with a 91-point ride.

Lee won the championship round and $34,000 aboard COWBOY KOOL from New West Rodeo Productions. The ride marks Lee's 20th 90+-point ride of the season.

"I had actually been on that bull before," Lee said. "He's one of Clay Taylor's bulls, and I've known Clay for quite a while. He's a really good bull that blows up and around to the left."

The win at The Governor's Cup ended the outstanding rookie year Lee put together. According to Lee, though, he never expected his first year in pro rodeo to go so well.

"When I started the year, I didn't even think I would get into the top 15," Lee said. "God has been with me the whole way. He keeps showing me where I need to be and who I need to be as a person."

Though Lee speaks humbly about his sudden rise to success in the PRCA, he has been a force to be reckoned with ever since his first PRCA rodeo. Lee joined the PRCA right after his 18th birthday, and he entered his first rodeo soon after.

His first out in the PRCA was at BULLNANZA, an Xtreme Bull Riding in Guthrie, Okla., where he finished in first place with a 90.5-point ride on McCoy Rodeo's The Hondo.

Lee took countless other wins throughout the season, including the Calgary Stampede which carried him to the No. 1 spot in the world bull riding standings. All of that success, plus countless wins and checks in between, led Lee to accomplish one of his biggest goals of the season, which was breaking the regular-season earnings record.

"My only goal going into Sioux Falls was breaking Stetson [Wright]'s record," Lee said. " I dang sure did that, and I trusted God along the way."

Lee has unofficially finished his season with $371,041 in winnings, breaking Stetson Wright's bull riding regular season earnings record of $368,630, which he set in 2023.

Now, the first NFR of his career lies ahead of the rookie cowboy. A long season of riding bulls left Lee's muscles feeling sore, he said, so he plans to use the next few months to get healthy and prepare for the 10-day battle in Vegas.

With one of the most remarkable rookie seasons in history now behind him, rodeo fans everywhere can look forward to the performance Lee will put on at the finals as he chases a gold buckle.