# Shad Mayfield's hip comeback puts another NFR within reach

> Two hip surgeries cost him half the season. Now the two-time world champ sits No. 14 with two weeks left to hold his NFR spot.
- Title: Shad Mayfield's hip comeback puts another NFR within reach
- Summary: Two hip surgeries cost him half the season. Now the two-time world champ sits No. 14 with two weeks left to hold his NFR spot. Mayfield is $3,000 inside the…
- Keywords: rodeo, tie-down roping, nfr, shad mayfield, comebacks, sports, Shad, Mayfield's, hip, comeback, puts, another
- Source: Rodeo On SI — https://si.com/fannation/rodeo/news/rodeo-star-shad-mayfield-within-striking-distance-another-nfr
- Published: 2026-09-15T19:02:47+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: rodeo, tie-down roping, nfr, shad mayfield, comebacks, sports
## Two weeks to make Vegas
The 2026 regular rodeo season has two weeks left, and only the top 15 go to the National Finals Rodeo in December. Tie-down roper Shad Mayfield is fighting to be one of them.
## Years of hip pain
The two-time world champion missed the first half of the season for multiple major hip surgeries. He had spent years roping through torn labrums and femoroacetabular impingement.
## A strong return in Reno
He came back at the Reno Rodeo in June and finished third, earning over $8,000 in his first weekend back.
## Hanging on at No. 14
Mayfield has earned $118,226 this season but sits just $3,000 from dropping out of the top 15. At this stage, a single paycheck can move the standings.

> it only takes one check to shake up the world standings and change the course of a season
## Surgery after a near title
He finished last season as reserve world champion, then had his first surgery and a second one a few months later. After a slow start, he came back in summer with something to prove.
## Big checks at big rodeos
He placed second at the NFR Open at Pikes Peak or Bust for $10,000. Days later he got his first win of the season at the California Rodeo Salinas, worth another $10,000.
## Summer wins keep coming
He has won four more rodeos this summer. Most recently, Puyallup paid him over $10,000 after he won the first two rounds and placed fourth in the final.
## Chasing the leaders
With momentum on his side, Mayfield could reach Las Vegas and challenge No. 1 Riley Webb and No. 2 Haven Meged at the Thomas & Mack in December.

> two weeks is plenty of time for this world champion cowboy to make his way back to the top
## Key takeaway

Mayfield is $3,000 inside the top 15 with two weeks to go, and one good check could decide whether he reaches Las Vegas.