Durfey, Proctor have strong finale at NFR

LAS VEGAS - The National Finals Rodeo wasn’t great for a pair of cowboys with local ties. But it wasn’t bad.

The 10-day rodeo wrapped up Saturday night with Tyson Durfee sharing first place in the final go-round of tie-down roping and Shane Proctor third in the season-ending bull riding standings.

Durfey, a former Colbert resident, had a time of 6.7 seconds. It was the second time he split first and second. Although he ended up last in the average, add a second-place finish and a sixth in the 10 rounds and the Missouri native living in Texas won just short of $72,000. That pushed his season winnings to almost $154,000, placing him eighth for the season.

Proctor scored 86.5 points on Karokee, his fifth successful ride of the week. The Grand Coulee native, the 2011 World Champion who lives in North Carolina, finished third in the average with 413 points, good for $113,385. He picked up more than $59,000 for his placings, including two seconds, and finished the season with $202,398.30.

Ellensburg brothers Riley and Brady Minor had a no-time and finished 13th in the team roping average. They had one fourth-place check over the 10 days. Riley Minor was 14th in the final standings for headers; his brother was 15th among heelers.

Steven Peebles finished in a three-way tie for first place to win the average and end Kaycee Feild’s streak four straight bareback championships. Peebles, who entered the NFR in 14th place, won five of the 10 rounds and took the aggregate title with 832.5 points over the 10 rides.

Winning the aggregate gave Peebles a $67,269 bonus and allowed him to finish with $314,140 and claim his first gold buckle. Peebles also broke Feild’s 2011 NFR earnings record of $179,327, as he finished first among all NFR competitors with $224,055.