Mayfield proving rookie run no fluke

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Shad Mayfield had quite a run in his rookie professional rodeo season, making a late charge to vault his way into the top 15 for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

A repeat trip is almost guaranteed following the 19-year-old’s big win at Saturday’s San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

Mayfield took $24,500 total at the event, including $15,000 for his 6.9-second finals run in tie-down roping on Saturday at the AT&T Center.

“My horse helped me out a lot,” Mayfield told The Cowboy Channel in a post-event interview. “He made it so easy for me. The calf was good, and being last out I knew what I had to beat.”

His father Sylvester Mayfield, a two-time Wrangler NFR competitor himself, said in the Cowboy Channel interview he sees no difference between Shad roping at home and roping in the country’s biggest arenas.

“He’s so relaxed,” the elder Mayfield said. “It’s so easy for him it’s unreal.”

After finishing last year at 12th in the world earnings at $127,075, Mayfield stands at the top of the unofficial 2020 tie-down earnings list at $77,700 as of Tuesday. He is more than $35,000 ahead of second-place Tuf Cooper of Decatur, Texas.

He’s close to sewing up qualification for the 2020 Wrangler NFR if he’s not there already; he qualified for last year’s event at 13th overall with $90,421 in earnings.