When the National Finals Rodeo begins Dec. 3 in Las Vegas, J.W. Harris will receive most of the bull riding attention.

And deservedly so.

The Texas cowboy has a won a staggering $219,237 for 2009 and will be trying to become the first bull rider to win back-to-back world titles since Blue Stone (2001-02). Harris has a lead of more than $110,000 in the world standings.

Harris won bull riding titles at 18 different rodeos, including Fort Worth, Texas, Reno, Nev., Dodge City, Kan., Caldwell, Idaho and the Justin Boots Championships in Omaha, Neb., to close out the regular season.

But there are others with glittery credentials. Former PRCA world champion Cody Hancock has qualified, along with Corey Navarre, who is making a return to the NFR after a 10-year absence. Navarre had been with the Professional Bull Riders since he last qualified for Las Vegas in 1999 where he finished fourth in the world standings.

So Bobby Welsh just shrugs his shoulders when bull riding talk begins and his name is absent.

"I've been under the radar my whole life. I don't mind it at all,'' said the Gillette, Wyo., cowboy.

If he keeps riding like this, somebody will have to pay attention.

The 25-year-old father of three has qualified for his fifth straight NFR and will go to Las Vegas fourth in the world standings with $92,929 won. Welsh is one of three NFR bull riders from Wyoming, joined by Powell's Kanin Asay and Clayton Savage, of Casper.

"This has been one of my better years for overall riding,'' Welsh said. "This year has been pretty good. I've been able to maintain my consistency.

"I didn't change anything, things have just worked out better.''

Welsh won just three regular-season rodeos - Mandan, N.D., Hawley, Minn., Corpus Christi, Texas - but had high-paying, second-place finishes at Cheyenne Frontier Days and Dodge City, Kan. He was second at Cheyenne by a single point.

Welsh closed with a flourish, riding all four bulls to win the Wrangler Tour stop at Puyallup, Wash., and pocket a healthy $23,337.

"Puyallup, that was pretty big,'' said Welsh, who also earned $17,548 on the PRCA's Xtreme Bulls Tour. "My philosophy is if you've stayed on your bull, you've already won. You can't control anything but your bull ride.''

A year ago, Welsh finished third in the final world standings with $192,888. He won two rounds of the NFR and placed in three others to earn $77,073. Welsh was also third in the 2006 world standings.

"My goal is to win the world title,'' he said. "That's the goal I set every year.''

Welsh didn't come close to filling his limit of 100 rodeos, estimating he went to 70, 75 in 2009.

"I spent more time at home,'' Welsh explained. "We had a kids rodeo every Thursday this summer, that was a lot of fun. You've always got a lot of things to do when you're home. Right now, we're building a new barn.

"When I'm home, I hardly have time to think about rodeo. It's a good way to get away from things.''

Welsh and his wife Sunny got far away this fall but not far from rodeo. Welsh was part of a group that put on a series of rodeos around Spain.

"Three weeks, no kids,'' Welsh said with a grin. "It was kind of honeymoon for my wife and I. And it's nice to have a honeymoon paid for.''

Welsh returns to work in early December.

"The ultimate goal is to ride all 10 bulls at the Finals,'' he said. "I'm not going to look at the standings. If you ride, everything else takes care of itself.''