LAS VEGAS — A night after their go-round wins, Sage Newman and Lisa Lockhart were again among Montana's money makers during Round 4 of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo on Monday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Melstone's Newman, the world's top-ranked saddle bronc rider, was back in the money in Round 4 with a ride of 86 points on Calgary Stampede's Birch Bubbles, good for a fourth-place tie and $10,401. Newman is seventh in the average.
After failing to place Sunday, Chase Brooks of Deer Lodge rode Big Stone Rodeo's Second Thoughts to 84.5 points, which placed sixth and earned $4,953. Brooks is fourth in the average.
The Round 4 saddle bronc winner was Australian Damian Brennan with an 89-point ride.
Coming off her Round 3 victory, Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs, S.D., and formerly of Circle, placed sixth in barrel racing. Lockhart and her horse Levee had a run of 13.77 seconds to claim a $4,953 check. Lockhart. a two-time average champion, is now alone in third place in the 2023 average standings.
Sissy Winn of Chapman Ranch, Texas, was the Round 4 winner with a barrel race of 13.50 seconds, her second go-round win of this NFR.
In tie-down roping, No. 2-ranked Haven Meged of Miles City was timed at 7.4 seconds Monday night, which briefly led the round. Ultimately Meged, the 2019 world champion who is also No. 2 in the average, finished in fourth place, which earned him a $12,877 payday.
Shad Mayfield of Clovis, N.M., won the tie-down roping round in 6.9 seconds.
Helena bulldogger Ty Erickson had a 5.3-second run in the fourth round of steer wrestling, which left him out of the money Monday night. Jesse Brown of Baker City, Oregon, formerly a Montana State University cowboy, pinned his steer in 4.8 seconds but that also wasn't a money-making run.
Brown is fifth in average while Erickson, the 2019 world champion, is 11th. Bridger Anderson of Carrington, N.D., won the fourth go-round of steer wrestling with a time of 3.5 seconds.
In bareback, Stevensville's Richmond Champion rode to 82 points atop Muddy Creek Pro Rodeo's Black Mamba, which failed to place. Leighton Berry of Weatherford, Texas, won the round with a ride of 87.5 points. Champion is seventh in the average standings.
For the third time in four nights, Clint Summers (Lake City, Florida) and Jake Long (Coffeyville, Kansas) won team roping with a time of 3.7 seconds. And with an 89-point ride, Australian Ky Hamilton won bull riding. It was one of just two qualified rides in the round.
The 65th Wrangler NFR continues with Round 5 on Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
