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Holden Myers Savoring Unanticipated Rise In PRCA Steer Wrestling Rankings

Originally posted on Rodeo on SI | By Alex Riley | Last updated May 12, 2025 12:11 PM ET

Making the top 30 by the end of the 2025 season. For Holden Myers, that seemed like an achievable goal, especially given how things had gone his first two years in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

Coming off lengthy recoveries from two serious injuries, the Van, Texas, steer wrestler just wanted to saddle up, back into the box, make consistent runs and get comfortable with competing again. So, he focused on a benchmark that felt realistic. Turns out, he might have been aiming too low.

“I won Rosenburg (Texas) the first rodeo of the year and that gets you an exemption into Houston,” Myers said. “My plan was to just go do good there and see what happens. When I won second, I figured it was time to go make the (National Finals Rodeo).”

Through the first half of the 2025 season, Myers has gone from unknown to bonafide contender for a world title. After missing out on qualifying for Denver, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin, he capitalized on his time at RodeoHouston, placing in every round to walk away with more than $35,000 in earnings. Recently, he finished sixth in the average at the Red Bluff (Calif.) Round-Up and last weekend captured the average at Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo.

Holden Myers with 13.0 on three for the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo win!#WeArePRORODEO pic.twitter.com/CYivWS612z
— PRCA ProRodeo (@PRCA_ProRodeo) May 4, 2025

It has all added up to $56,754 in earnings and the No. 3 spot in the PRCA Steer Wrestling World Standings. All that and he doesn’t even have a headshot on his PRCA profile page.

“My friends are giving me hell about that. Before this year, I had never even been to a rodeo where they took my picture. Now, I’m No. 3 in the world,” Myers said with a laugh. “They post about it on Instagram and they just have to put the PRCA logo in there. I guess it’s a good problem to have.”

Myers' rise is a testament to his grit and work ethic, especially in the face of tumultuous circumstances early in his career.

In 2022, he tore his ACL. The next year, it was a broken ankle and shoulder injury. Every time he’d feel like he was turning a corner, something seemed to come along and derail his momentum. Going into 2024, he was healed but cautious and for good reason.

“I just felt like it was right for me to stay home and amateur rodeo and circuit rodeo and get back to getting my timing right and everything and just having that time to get my timing right and get better. It just kind of all set up for this year to be really good,” Myers said.

That’s why he set those tentative goals, hoping to do well enough in 2025 to qualify for the big winter events he missed out on. He hoped success this year would translate to a possible NFR run in 2026.

If things keep going well, he might bypass that whole process.

Thanks to his faith and support system, Myers has himself in position for a career-reshaping moment. He’s been fortunate enough to travel with Tucker Allen – the current No. 1 in the World Standings – along with Justin Shaffer (9th) and Jace Melvin (18th). Shaffer’s horse, Gray, has been his primary mount but he’s also won money on other rides, including Mason Couch’s horse, Tubby, in Guymon most recently.

At this point, Myers just admits he’s “going with the flow” and seeing where the journey takes him. It’s certainly not where he envisioned himself at this point in the season – and that’s perfectly fine.

“I’ve never been in the top 50. I think the most I’ve ever won in the PRCA is about $7,000 or $8,000 in one season and now I’ve got almost $60,000 not even in May yet really,” Myers said. “To be honest, I’m not super shocked because I know the work I’ve put in, but I’m also happy and I’m ahead of my own schedule of where I thought I’d be at this point.”