The Face-Off Zone numbers have seen significant changes in the past six weeks, with the money needed to hold a Top 5 spot in the 2026–2027 Holiday Auto Group Challenge of the Champions increasing in every division. The Novice ranch sorters saw their cutoff triple from $3,568 to $10,937, while the Open cutoff more than doubled from $7,182 to $16,835. The Amateur and Rookie divisions also saw increases in their cutoff amounts.
Out of the 40 Top 10 spots, 22 now belong to ranch sorters who were not on the lists previously, and the Rookie division now has a narrow $39 gap for the fifth spot. The Top 5 money earners in each division will qualify for the year-end tournament at the World Finals in June.
Open: Jessie Wolfe Closes In on Hunter Brzymialkiewicz
Hunter Brzymialkiewicz (Waller, Texas) is still holding the No. 1 spot at $25,376, but Jessie Wolfe (Wellington, Colorado) has made a significant climb, moving from No. 6 to No. 2 with $21,994. Kevin Reese (Fayetteville, Tennessee) and Chris Mangold (Hesperia, California) also saw movements in the standings. Several new riders have entered the Top 10 list, replacing others.
Cassie Daniel, Brenda Macauley, Makaila Ann, Hailey Ferguson, Jamie Grezaffi, and Chris Urquidez have exited the competition.
Watch the standings all season on Performance Report’s Challenge of the Champions news hub.