Creek Young Achieves Highest Marked Ride of 2023 NFR in Round 3

On Sunday, Dec. 10, Creek Young achieved the highest marked ride of the 2023 Wrangler National Finals in Round 3 with 89.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo's Let's Gamble, winning the round and taking home $33,926.

"It's a great bull that's been around for a long time," said Young, 23, from Rogersville, Mo., to ProRodeo Sports News. "I knew the bull was going to fit me pretty well from his style of bucking and my experience watching him. It worked out great, and I'm happy to get the go-round win."

Creek, a three-time NFR qualifier, entered the Finals ranked No. 6 in the world standings. After his win tonight and his third-place win in Round 1 on Frontier Rodeo Co.'s County Jail, he now sits at No. 4 in the world standings with $218,536.77, just $160,000 behind No. 1 Stetson Wright. However, with Wright out of the Finals due to a hamstring injury and plenty of money still up for grabs, it could be anyone's game in the race for the world title.

"This is my third time here, and I'm already two for three thus far. It's a better start to the Finals than I've had, and I'm glad to get back here for a round win. It's something I missed out on last year. I'm just going to keep it rolling into these final seven rounds."

1. Creek Young, 89.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeos 's Let's Gamble, $33,926
2. Ky Hamilton, 87.5, $27,487
3. T Parker, 86.5, $21,544
4. Trey Kimzey, 84, $16,096

No other qualified rides

1. Stetson Wright, $378,629.98
2. Ky Hamilton, $349,267.56
3. Josh Frost, $266,301.94
4. Creek Young, $218,536.77
5. Trey Holston, $196,468.39 
6. Tristen Hutchings, $191,192.18 
7. Jared Parsonage, $188,842.61 
8. T Parker, $184,336.49 
9. Trey Kimzey, $179,287.13 
10. Jeff Askey, $178,096.17 
11. Hayes Weight, $164,694.97 
12. Cody Teel, $158,547.90 
13. Sage Kimzey, $157,497.00 
14. Jordan Hansen, $154,222.51 
15. Cullen Telfer, $138,244.93