A 53-year-old disc jockey cashed checks worth $152,500, and a 20-year-old NFR hopeful hauled in $115,500.
GUTHRIE, April 7, 2026 – Wrangler BFI Week presented by Yeti, now in its seventh year at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma, concluded seven days of competition on April 1, having paid team ropers an event-record $6,015,750 in cash and prizes. Anchored by the 49th Annual Bob Feist Invitational (BFI), the event fielded 3,416 teams from across the country in 10 individual competitions. It offered added money totaling $90,000, with jackpot prize lines exceeding $200,000.
“Year-over-year growth has been phenomenal, and the recent renditions of The Feist have been nothing short of incredible,” said BFI co-owner Daren Peterson. “While we didn’t see a three-peat by Driggers and Nogueira this year, that heart-pounding short round nearly made history. Watching Tyler and Levi take the win was one for the books.”
Tyler Tryan, just 20, and Levi Lord, 30, had entered the final round in an old-fashioned shootout against defending back-to-back BFI champs Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira. They won Round One by a full second and took their big lead all the way to the bank, recording the third-fastest six-steer time in history to win the 2026 BFI and split $160,000 in total cash. Plus, a day earlier Tryan had also won the Hooey Jr. BFI with Denton Dunning and raked in $38,000. As the first youngster to have put both wins on his resume, Tryan hauled $115,500 cash out of Guthrie.
In 2019, before the pandemic forced Wrangler BFI Week to move from its longtime home in Reno, Nevada, the collective payout was $1.5 million. Over the next five years, the event experienced a 153 percent increase in entries and the cash disbursement skyrocketed to $5.3 million last year.
“Having reached a cash payout of more than $5.8 million in 2026, the bar continues to rise with each passing year,” said Peterson. “As we plan for even more growth, our priority remains clear—ensuring every roper feels welcomed, valued, and appreciated at BFI Week.”
Earlier in the week, 468 teams of future BFI contenders had entered the Hooey Jr. BFI 10.5, with a pair of Missouri teenagers splitting $100,000. And just before that, Charlie 1 Horse All Girl champions from Idaho and Iowa split $20,000, while an 11-year-old girl from east Texas earned $3,750 team roping and a 15-year-old girl won not only the Youth Incentive but the actual Breakaway to take $18,100 back to California. In the most lucrative jackpot of the week, a 22-year-old college student and his 60-year-old partner, both from Hempstead, Texas, combined to rake in $220,000 cash in the 12.5.
Also, a couple of teenagers connected on four steers in the 15.5 to win $60,000 each. And, in the traditional 11.5 Businessman’s Roping long affiliated with the BFI, a pair of Colorado ropers split the first-place paycheck of $180,000. The 8.5 with its 7.5 Incentive paid the champs $140,100, while huge growth was seen in the two jackpots for ropers at least 40 years old. A pair of businessmen who’d never met teamed up to win the 10.5 and split $170,000, while a 53-year-old disk jockey from Texas did the unthinkable and placed first and third in the 9.5 to go home with $152,500 cash.
For complete results and details, visit BFIWeek.com.
About Ullman Peterson Events: Since 2012, Phoenix-based Ullman Peterson Events has owned and produced the Bob Feist Invitational, held each spring in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Annually, the richest competition for pro ropers, it anchors six subsequent days of additional high-stakes amateur ropings that are among the most lucrative in the world. In addition to Wrangler BFI Week, the firm produces the Double Down week of ropings in Fallon, Nevada, each July, and the five-day Cody Johnson Championship Event in Belton, Texas, each October.
Last Updated on 04/08/2026 by Peter Varlet
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