After a standout rookie season and an impressive debut in the Thomas and Mack, 19 year old Luke Mackey has surged to the top of the PRCA bull riding world standings early in 2026.
The top of the PRCA Bull Riding World Standings has a new name.
Luke Mackey, known as the Colorado kid, has climbed into the No. 1 spot in the world, continuing the momentum he built during an impressive rookie season just one year ago.
Mackey currently sits with just over $64,000 in earnings, narrowly ahead of Mason Moody, who now holds the No. 2 position with just over $61,000 won so far this season.
For Mackey, the climb to the top of the standings has come from steady results at some of the sport’s biggest winter rodeos. He has been on fire from the start.
He opened the year strong at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver, finishing third. Then he went on to have a standout ride at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, where he rode Nemesis for 91 points to win a round.
Most recently, Mackey added another big check with a second place finish at the Rodeo Austin Xtreme Bulls, worth more than $10,000, helping push him into the No. 1 position. He was 87.5 points to be just behind the event winner, Dylan Rice.
His strong start to 2026 comes on the heels of a remarkable rookie season in 2025.
Mackey made his Wrangler National Finals Rodeo debut during his Resistol Rookie of the Year campaign, quickly proving he belonged there. Over the ten rounds in Las Vegas, Mackey placed in five rounds, earning $134,494 at the NFR. Placing in five rounds in the bull riding is impressive, but to do so as a rookie is even more so.
By the end of the season, he finished seventh in the PRCA World Standings with $273,412 in total earnings.
Mackey also finished second in the 2025 Resistol Rookie of the Year race, just behind fellow rookie Bryce Jensen, who is also off to a strong start in 2026 and currently sits inside the Top 10 in the world standings.
For Mackey, the journey to the top of the standings started long before the professional ranks.
Growing up in Colorado, he competed through high school rodeo, learning the sport the same way many young bull riders do, traveling to rodeos, getting on every chance he could, and building the experience that eventually carried him to the PRCA level. There was always something special about the way he rode, and his try. No one ever doubted that Luke would make it as far as he has already.
A gold buckle is in this kids future, and he is making it clear, that 2026 is the year he wants to make it happen.
Now, just one year after his rookie season, Mackey finds himself leading the World Standings against his idols. The season is still fresh, but the young cowboy from Ignacio, Colorado has already shown he plans to stay in the fight all the way to Las Vegas.