The Western industry’s longest-running, richest one-day Open roping in Guthrie, Okla., will land on a new day of the week in 2026. The Bob Feist Invitational was held for years on late-June Mondays in Reno, Nev., but since the Covid-prompted relocation to Oklahoma in 2020, it’s happened on Saturdays.
In 2026, the 49th edition of team roping’s most prestigious event will take place Sunday, March 29 – putting it smack in the middle of Wrangler BFI Week, which paid out a record $5.3 million in 2025. This year’s BFI Week runs from Thursday, March 26, through Wednesday, April 1.
“After speaking with the BFI ropers and finding out the short round at Rodeo Austin will be on Saturday the 28th of March, we made the decision to move the BFI to Sunday,” said BFI co-owner Daren Peterson. “Last year, there were some BFI teams who chartered planes to make it to both events, and we didn’t want to see that happen again or want our contestants to incur any additional expenses.”
This year’s BFI lineup is bound to include rodeo stars like defending back-to-back BFI champs Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, who won $154,000 cash in Guthrie last year. That victory helped propel Driggers to a record season in which he also won The CoJo, the Lone Star Shootout, the American Rodeo and the most money in the PRCA’s regular season.
BFI Week also features the richest and fastest-growing junior team roping in America, with last year’s champs of the Hooey Jr. BFI 10.5 taking a record $100,000 cash plus extensive prizeline back to the Dakotas. The Jr. BFI Open saw a $40,000 increase in payout from 2024. Jr. In fact, the heading champion – Tyler Tryan – also won the 15.5 to haul a staggering $80,200 cash back home to Texas.
Instead of concluding BFI Week like it has in the past, this year things will kick off Thursday with the annual Charlie 1 Horse All Girl. The nation’s richest team roping only for women last year paid Beverly Robbins and Jimmi Jo Montera $20,000. It’ll be followed by Friday’s Hooey Jr. BFI 10.5 and Saturday’s Hooey Jr. BFI Open and 15.5 ropings.
The BFI on March 29 will be followed Monday with the 12.5, which paid the winners a whopping $220,000 last year. On Tuesday, expect the 11.5 Businessman’s Roping (winners earned $175,000 in 2025) and 10.5 Over 40 ($150,000 to the champs last year). BFI Week will wrap up on April 1 with the 9.5 Over 40 (first place paid $155,000 in 2025) and 8.5 with 7.5 Incentive (champs earned $90,000 last year).
Stay tuned for official entry information. Entries for all Wrangler BFI Week ropings will be announced soon at bfilive.com/.
