Bull riding organizer Kenny Thomas said he ponied up to bring a better show to Augusta.

He ended up getting the first Professional Bull Riders show at James Brown Arena.

"We went the extra mile," Thomas said. "We paid the extra dollar to bring the best show you'll see in bull riding."

The USC Aiken Extra Inning PBR Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour event will be held at 8 tonight at James Brown Arena. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $16-22 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger.

Forty-five riders comprise the field. The top 10 riders will advance to the short go. The winner is guaranteed the top prize of $10,000.

Thomas began his annual bull riding event, which most recently has been affiliated with the Southern Extreme Bull Riders Association, in Augusta in 2003. He said he's been hearing from people to put on a PBR show for four years.

"A lot of it is about money," he said. "It costs a lot more money."

Thomas said after last year's show he decided to make the leap to PBR. The deal took five months to get in place.

"That's a big step," Thomas said. "The Southern Extreme Association we've been sanctioned with is good. But fans are going to see another level here."

Every year, bull riding has been one of the few events to fill James Brown Arena.

"It's obviously been one of the most successful events in Augusta," said Thomas, the head baseball coach at USC Aiken. "It's fun. It's kid-friendly. But it's also the big, bad bulls."

Because of the change to PBR, Thomas picked up a new stock contractor, Jeff Robinson of Mars Hill, N.C. Robinson co-owns the 2007 PBR Bull of the Year, Chicken on a Chain. Comedian Larry the Cable Guy is one of the bull's other owners.

Robinson also has four other bulls ranked in the PBR's top 25. He and Larry the Cable Guy also own the bulls Git-R-Done and Boogie Butt.

"You're going to see bulls that are the top bulls in the PBR," Thomas said.

Also new this year is the addition of a mechanical bull on the arena floor.

"Guys and girls that want to ride that bull right in front of the crowd," Thomas said, "they can come on down."

From the Saturday, January 19, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle