By Ted Harbin//Photo Courtesy of PRCA Mallory Beinborn

The Governor’s Cup will help solidify this year’s NFR qualifiers

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Damian Brennan is starring in the role of a swashbuckler, protecting the castle from every intruder.

Brennan is the No. 15 saddle bronc riding in the ProRodeo world standings, and he’s trying to stave off a list of contenders for his precious placement on the money list; Brennan’s only weapon is his ability to spur bucking horses.

He’ll pull his sword and slash away during the Cinch Playoffs The Governor’s Cup, presented by Texas Precious Metals, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept 25-Saturday, Sept. 26, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, at Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.

So far this season, Brennan has earned $145,962. If he holds par and maintains his status, he’ll join the other 14 bronc busters as qualifiers for the National Finals Rodeo. Of course, he’d like to move up a few spots and save himself the angst, and that’s certainly possible at The Governor’s Cup.

Men like No. 16 Zac Dallas, No. 17 Brody Cress and No. 18 Statler Wright are hiding just beyond the portcullis protecting the entryway to Brennan’s fortress. Dallas is the closest, about $8,800 behind, while Wright and Cress are about $20,000 out. Others in the mix at Sioux Falls have placed their sights on Brennan as the target.

This is what the Cinch Playoffs is all about and why having its championship event is vital for the season.

“When you think of playoff football, two teams in NFC and two teams in the AFC are battling it out in the championship games; one of them has got to win to go to the Super Bowl,” said Garrett Yerigan, who will emcee the rodeo with Boyd Polhamus. “There’s a similar narrative to what we’re doing.

“When you’re in those situations where you are 16th – and in some events, you could go down to 25th – it is so tight. It’s going to come down to Sioux Falls to see who will make the NFR.”

The tournament-style format will feature two initial go-rounds, which will pay its winners $12,533. The top eight in the two-round aggregate will advance to Sunday’s semifinals, and the best four scores or times from that round will move on to the championship shootout. The cowboy or cowgirl who does the best on his or her final run will earn $34,000.

In a sport where money equals points, the difference between making or missing the NFR is small. Like all the others, Brennan knows this. He suffered injuries this season, and time away from elite competition meant he wasn’t making the kind of money he had hoped. Even toward the end of the season with so much on the line, there have been some other extenuating circumstances, too.

He left the rodeo trail Aug. 9 and went home to Injune, Queensland, to be with his wife, Jessie, for the birth of their first child, a little girl named Kaia Lolly born Aug. 15. He returned to the game two weeks ago and has snared a little more than $8,000 at five rodeos. Others have been collecting cash, too. That’s why making it to Sioux Falls has been so critical for Brennan.

There are other bubble storylines that come with The Governor’s Cup, whether it’s four breakaway ropers sitting outside the top 15 with hope of sneaking in or South Dakota steer wrestler Eli Lord hoping to move just one spot and earn his first NFR qualification.

Lord, 32, sits 16th in the world standings with $108,597. He’s just $789 behind the No. 15 man, Will Lummus, but holds just a $281 lead over Justin Shaffer, the 17th-ranked bulldogger. Just $2,000 behind Shaffer is Dalton Massey. All but Lummus will be in Sioux Falls.

Virtually every event has a bubble race. If contestants finish among the top 15 when the regular season closes Sept. 30, they’re inside the bubble and can safely make their NFR plans for December in Las Vegas. If they’re on the outside, though, it’s time to pack things up and head home, missing out on a $13.5 million payday and a shot at a world championship.

“That $34,000 payday for the winners on Sunday is going to be huge,” Yerigan said.