Confidence-Boosting Win at Homestead Helps Tie-Down Roper Get Rolling in Early Season

Macon Murphy relied on one of his younger horses to pick up a much-needed winter victory in the Southeastern Circuit. 
Macon Murphy's win at the Homestead Championship Rodeo lifted him up to 30th in the PRCA Tie-Down World Standings.
Macon Murphy's win at the Homestead Championship Rodeo lifted him up to 30th in the PRCA Tie-Down World Standings. / Fernando Sam-Sin/@fsamsin

Between his horse and the calf, Macon Murphy wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. 

The tie-down roper watched his draw compete against another cowboy during Friday’s opening round of the Homestead (Fla.) Championship Rodeo. The results were not promising. 

Murphy saw the animal sprint out of the chute and fight the tie, leading him to call the calf his least favorite in the entire pen. 

Added to that, the Keatchie, La., native was slated to run in Sunday’s finale, which meant a sold out performance. He wasn’t sure how his horse, Garfield, would react to the environment as the 7-year-old has only competed at a handful of events so far. 

Turns out, he worried for no reason at all. 

“(The calf) jumped up in my arms and it just happened fast,” Murphy said after his time of 8.3 seconds captured the championship. “I was happy for the run, but I was more happy for the horse. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Homestead on a Sunday, but it is packed. I bet you there’s 10,000 people there and he took it like a champ. I was pretty happy for him even more than for me.”

The win marks Murphy’s second straight championship at the Southeastern Circuit event, a result that helped him reach the 2024 Southeastern Circuit Finals back in November where he finished second in the average. 

Aside from his circuit finals and a select few competitions since the 2024 campaign wrapped, Murphy has kept a low profile in the early goings of the 2025 season. HIs run at Homestead was just the third PRCA event since the calendar flipped, with the $2,203 payday vaulting him from barely inside the top 50 to No. 30 in the Tie-Down World Standings as of Monday morning. 

Murphy needed that big showing to keep pace in his quest to return to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He reached Las Vegas in 2022 but finished outside the top 25 in 2023 and then took 19th last year. 

Over the next few months, the schedule will certainly ramp up as ProRodeo’s premiere indoor winter showcases unfold. Those and a few circuit events will be Murphy’s primary focus as he tries to set himself up for a big push in the summer months. 

“I try to save rodeos until about June. I don’t think I’ll go to more than 20 rodeos between now and June. Just mostly circuit rodeos and obviously Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Austin, San Angelo and stuff like that,” Murphy said. “Our count is 80 and I try to have at least 55-60 available by the time June rolls around, that way I can go to as many as I can.”

Other results from Homestead Championship Rodeo

Cooper Bennett’s 86-point ride on Hi Lo ProRodeo’s Square Bale was just enough to hold off Bradlee Miller by one point and win the bareback riding title. Bennett pocketed $2,583 in earnings. 

Joshua Ellison was the only steer wrestler to post a time under five seconds, finishing in 4.6 seconds to secure $1,859 in prize money and the championship. 

The team roping duo of Clint Keller and Morgan Jones were a tenth of a second better than two other teams as their effort of 5.9 seconds earned them $2,221 each and the win. 

Q Taylor’s 85.5-point ride on Hi Lo ProRodeo’s Karen’s Klown won the saddle bronc title and gave him $2,888 in earnings. 

Barrel racer Erin Wetzel blazed her way to a time of 17.46 seconds to capture the championship and $2,286 in earnings. 

Keylie Tatum’s effort of 2.9 seconds made her the lone breakaway roper to finish in under three, earning her $1,466 and the victory. 

Zack Heimann rode Hi Lo ProRodeo’s Cat Wrangler for 84 points to lock up the title and $3,318 in prize money. 

By earning $1,251 between tie-down and team roping, Billy Brunson took home the rodeo’s all-around championship. 


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Alex Riley
ALEX RILEY

Alex Riley is a writer for Sports Illustrated's feature, Rodeo Daily. Formerly working at news outlets in South Carolina, Texas, Wyoming and North Carolina, Alex is an award-winning writer and photographer who graduated from the University of South Carolina.