The International (golf)
Encyclopedia
The International was a professional golf
tournament played from 1986 to 2006
at the Castle Pines Golf Club at Castle Pines Village in Castle Rock
, Colorado
. It had the distinction of being one of two PGA Tour
events not conducted at traditional stroke play, the only other exception is the match play event, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
. The International was the only tournament to use the Modified Stableford
scoring system, enacted because of the significant elevation
of the venue, which averages 6500 feet (1980 m) above sea level.
Beginning in 2007
, The International was scheduled to change dates to be played during the first full weekend of July (July 5-8, 2007 and July 4-7, 2008), midway between the U.S. Open
and the British Open
. Tournament officials hoped this new date would draw even more top-ranked players, such as Tiger Woods
, as it would no longer be contested the week before (or after) a major championship (PGA Championship
). Even with the change in dates, both tournament founder Jack Vickers and the Castle Pines GC membership were apparently not happy with the overall direction the PGA Tour was taking.
Also (according to the ticker
on the FSN Final Score
), the tourney has not generated sufficient sponsorship money to pay the purses. The last presenting sponsor (as shown below) was Qwest
, in 2003; the last title sponsor was Sprint
, in 1999.
On February 8, 2007, the PGA Tour announced the permanent cancellation of the International. This tournament will be replaced by another to be hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation and to be held in the Washington, D.C.
area. On March 7, 2007, the replacement tournament was announced to be the AT&T National
. The new tournament uses standard stroke play rather than the Stableford scoring that the International had used.
system gives golfers points on each hole, based on the golfer's score relative to par. It is designed to reward players for taking chances to go for birdies (or better), as the reward for a low score on a hole is typically greater than the punishment for a poor score. The golfer's scores on each hole in his round are added. The scoring operates as follows:
Holes in one
are treated as the score relative to par; an ace on a par-3 hole would be considered an eagle and scored as +5.
The tournament was also notable for featuring multiple cuts, including a cut after the third round, and also for providing a clean slate to the survivors of that cut, so that every player on the final day started with zero, making the player with the best final day score the overall winner, regardless of the scores from the previous 3 days. This cut and clean slate format was featured from 1986-1992; beginning in 1993, the tournament changed to only a traditional cut after the 2nd round and the final results were based on aggregate 4 round scores, while still featuring the Modified Stableford scoring system.
The International presented by Qwest
Sprint International
The International
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tournament played from 1986 to 2006
2006 in golf
-Men's professional golf:Major championships*6–9 April: The Masters - Winner: Phil Mickelson The Augusta National course was lengthened to 7,445 yards for the tournament, generating some advance controversy. For the first time since 1954 neither Jack Nicklaus nor Arnold Palmer played...
at the Castle Pines Golf Club at Castle Pines Village in Castle Rock
Castle Rock, Colorado
The Town of Castle Rock is the county seat of Douglas County, Colorado, United States and is named for the prominent castle tower-shaped butte near the center of town. It is part of Colorado's Front Range Urban Corridor and is located roughly 28 miles south of Denver and 37 miles north of...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. It had the distinction of being one of two PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
events not conducted at traditional stroke play, the only other exception is the match play event, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is one of the annual World Golf Championships. It is a knockout event and is staged in January or February each year...
. The International was the only tournament to use the Modified Stableford
Stableford
Stableford is a scoring system used in the sport of golf. Rather than counting the total number of strokes taken, as in stroke play, it involves scoring points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole...
scoring system, enacted because of the significant elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of the venue, which averages 6500 feet (1980 m) above sea level.
Beginning in 2007
2007 in golf
-Men's professional golf:Major championships*5-8 April: The Masters - American Zach Johnson won his first major tournament, in a high scoring week at Augusta.*14-17 June: U.S. Open - Ángel Cabrera became Argentina's first U.S...
, The International was scheduled to change dates to be played during the first full weekend of July (July 5-8, 2007 and July 4-7, 2008), midway between the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
and the British Open
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
. Tournament officials hoped this new date would draw even more top-ranked players, such as Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
, as it would no longer be contested the week before (or after) a major championship (PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
). Even with the change in dates, both tournament founder Jack Vickers and the Castle Pines GC membership were apparently not happy with the overall direction the PGA Tour was taking.
Also (according to the ticker
News ticker
A news ticker resides in the lower third of the television screen space on television news networks dedicated to presenting headlines or minor pieces of news. It may also refer to a long, thin scoreboard-style display seen around the front of some offices or public buildings...
on the FSN Final Score
FSN Final Score
Final Score was the nightly sports news program that aired across the United States on Fox Sports Net....
), the tourney has not generated sufficient sponsorship money to pay the purses. The last presenting sponsor (as shown below) was Qwest
Qwest
Qwest Communications International, Inc. was a large United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.On April...
, in 2003; the last title sponsor was Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
, in 1999.
On February 8, 2007, the PGA Tour announced the permanent cancellation of the International. This tournament will be replaced by another to be hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation and to be held in the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area. On March 7, 2007, the replacement tournament was announced to be the AT&T National
AT&T National
The AT&T National is a professional golf tournament held in the Washington D.C. area during the Fourth of July weekend. The PGA Tour event is hosted by Tiger Woods and benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation. The first AT&T National was held July 5–8, 2007, at the Blue Course of the Congressional...
. The new tournament uses standard stroke play rather than the Stableford scoring that the International had used.
Scoring
The Modified StablefordStableford
Stableford is a scoring system used in the sport of golf. Rather than counting the total number of strokes taken, as in stroke play, it involves scoring points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole...
system gives golfers points on each hole, based on the golfer's score relative to par. It is designed to reward players for taking chances to go for birdies (or better), as the reward for a low score on a hole is typically greater than the punishment for a poor score. The golfer's scores on each hole in his round are added. The scoring operates as follows:
- Albatross (double eagle): +8
- Eagle: +5
- Birdie: +2
- Par: 0
- Bogey: -1
- Double bogey or worse: -3
Holes in one
Hole in one
In golf, a hole in one or hole-in-one is when a player hits the ball directly from the tee into the cup with one shot. This is most possible on a par 3 hole. Longer hitters have accomplished this feat on shorter par 4 holes...
are treated as the score relative to par; an ace on a par-3 hole would be considered an eagle and scored as +5.
The tournament was also notable for featuring multiple cuts, including a cut after the third round, and also for providing a clean slate to the survivors of that cut, so that every player on the final day started with zero, making the player with the best final day score the overall winner, regardless of the scores from the previous 3 days. This cut and clean slate format was featured from 1986-1992; beginning in 1993, the tournament changed to only a traditional cut after the 2nd round and the final results were based on aggregate 4 round scores, while still featuring the Modified Stableford scoring system.
Winners
The International- 2006 Dean WilsonDean WilsonDean Hiroshi Wilson is an American professional golfer.Wilson was born in Kaneohe, Hawaii. He turned professional in 1992 after graduating from Brigham Young University and has won six times on the Japan Golf Tour and once on the PGA Tour. After a poor 2009 season Wilson lost his PGA Tour playing...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 2005 Retief GoosenRetief GoosenRetief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. His main achievements have been two U.S...
- South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... - 2004 Rod PamplingRod Pampling-Golf career:Pampling was born in Redcliffe in Queensland. He turned professional in 1994. He began tournament golf career on the PGA Tour of Australasia, where he won the 1999 Canon Challenge, and also spent time on the NGA Hooters Tour, a developmental tour in the United States...
- AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... - 2003 Davis Love IIIDavis Love IIIDavis Milton Love III is an American professional golfer.Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 1985. He earned his PGA Tour card in the fall of 1985, on his first attempt. He quickly established himself on the PGA...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
The International presented by Qwest
- 2002 Rich BeemRich BeemRichard Michael Beem is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.Beem was born in Phoenix, Arizona, grew up in El Paso, Texas, and played golf at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico....
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 2001 Tom Pernice, Jr. - United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- 2000 Ernie ElsErnie ElsTheodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
- South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
Sprint International
- 1999 David TomsDavid TomsDavid Wayne Toms is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He has won a total of thirteen events on the PGA Tour including the 2001 PGA Championship...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1998 Vijay SinghVijay SinghVijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
- FijiFijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island... - 1997 Phil MickelsonPhil MickelsonPhilip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1996 Clarence RoseClarence RoseClarence Rose is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.Rose was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, where he makes his home today. He attended Clemson University and was a member of the golf team, an All-American in 1980...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1995 Lee JanzenLee JanzenLee McLeod Janzen is an American golfer who is best known for twice winning the U.S. Open, in 1993 and 1998.-Early years and amateur career:...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1994 Steve LowerySteve LoweryStephen Brent Lowery is an American professional golfer.Lowery was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He has PGA Tour victories in 1994, 2000 and 2008. All three of his victories on the PGA Tour have come in playoffs....
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
The International
- 1993 Phil MickelsonPhil MickelsonPhilip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1992 Brad FaxonBrad FaxonBradford John Faxon, Jr. is an American professional golfer. He has won eight times on the PGA Tour.-Early years and amateur career:Faxon was born in Oceanport, New Jersey and raised in Barrington, Rhode Island...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1991 José María OlazábalJosé María OlazábalJosé María Olazábal Manterola is a Spanish professional golfer who has enjoyed success on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and has won two major championships.-Career outline:...
- SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... - 1990 Davis Love IIIDavis Love IIIDavis Milton Love III is an American professional golfer.Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 1985. He earned his PGA Tour card in the fall of 1985, on his first attempt. He quickly established himself on the PGA...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1989 Greg NormanGreg NormanGregory John Norman AO is an Australian professional golfer and entrepreneur who spent 331 weeks as the world's Number 1 ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s...
- AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... - 1988 Joey SindelarJoey SindelarJoseph Paul Sindelar is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the Champions Tour.Sindelar was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky while his father was serving in the Army, but has lived in New York for most of his life...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1987 John CookJohn Cook (golfer)John Neuman Cook is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour....
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1986 Ken Green - United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...