Bull riders vie at T&M

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2000 | 1:56 a.m.

Legendary bull rider and rodeo cowboy Ty Murray will headline the show as the $1.5 million Professional Bull Riders Bud Light Cup World Championships get under way at 6:30 tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The four-day event runs through Sunday. Limited tickets remain for tonight's and Friday's go-rounds.

Murray's reputation aside, the leading rider on the 29-city Bud Light Cup Series coming into Las Vegas is 21-year-old rookie Chris Shivers, who has earned more than $252,000 this season.

But the veteran Murray is still in the hunt. He is the fifth-place qualifier for this weekend's PBR Finals and was in similar position last year, when he overtook Shivers for the title.

Murray posted a 94-point ride in last year's short-go to edge Shivers for the event average and the $200,000 first prize, which boosted his earnings at the 1999 PBR Finals to $259,050.

Shivers took the second-place prize of $125,000. He earned $168,866 during the event.

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