Tyler Wade and Cole Davison rode second in but their time of 4.0 seconds tied the Round 1 team roping record and held up all night to give them the win.
“It’s crucial (to get off to a good start),” Wade said. “Last year, we didn’t get start off good.”
The win brought both men into the Top 10 in their respective world standings.
The pair of Matt Sherwood and Hunter Koch also made a move into the Top 10 with a second place performance and a time of 4.1.
Erich Rogers/Kyle Lockett took home third on the night, moving Lockett to No. 2 in the world standings for heelers. Brenton Hall/Chase Tryan finished fourth in the round with a time of 4.5 seconds and Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira rounded out the Top 5 with a 4.6.
Team Roping Header World Standings (NFR money in parentheses)
1. Clay Smith - $160,512 ($10,000)
2. Kaleb Driggers - $135,224 ($16,769)
3. Coleman Proctor - $114,318 ($10,000)
4. Clay Tryan $113,164 ($10,000)
5. Ty Blasingame $111,489 ($10,000)
Team Roping Heeler World Standings (NFR money in parentheses)
1. Junior Nogueira $132,543 ($16,769)
2. Kyle Lockett $124,383 ($25,653)
3. Ryan Motes $119,166 ($10,000)
4. Jade Corkill $118,637 ($10,000)
5. Jake Long $116,896 ($10,000)