No sponsor, no Woods, no event

Steve Trivett, Special To The Rocky

Friday, February 9, 2007

The International, Denver's stop on the PGA Tour, officially came to an end Thursday.

Two of the most powerful men in professional golf - PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and Castle Pines Golf Club and International founder Jack Vickers - held a joint news conference at the Denver Athletic Club to announce the tournament, a mainstay on the tour for 21 years, will not be played this year or any year in the foreseeable future.

And the bottom line is measured in dollars.

Eight million, to be exact.

Without a major sponsor, The International was one of two PGA Tour events outside the four major championships, the Canadian Open and The Players Championship not to have a title or presenting sponsor to pony up most of the needed money,

Vickers pulled the plug on the tournament that became his dream when he built Castle Pines.

"You have to have to have support to be able to do the right things," Vickers said. "For 21 years, we managed - never having trouble getting sponsors - and, all of a sudden, we moved into an era where the marketplace out there is not the same. I haven't seen it like this in 21 years of dealing with the PGA Tour.

"And my philosophy is to do it right or don't do it at all."

Since the inception of The International, the tournament has raised nearly $14 million for charities throughout Colorado, with its major beneficiary being the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver.

While the demise of the tournament leaves a hole in the PGA Tour schedule on the July 4 weekend, Finchem, while not naming names or locations, has taken steps to fill the void.

"We have had conversations with several groups over the past three or four weeks about the possibility of having an opening on the schedule," Finchem said.

Washington has been mentioned most as the front-runner since rumors of The International's demise first surfaced a month ago.

But those rumors didn't stop Vickers from trying to save his tournament.

"I thought right down to the last minute that we might get it done," he said.

And while sponsorship money - or the lack of it - was the major factor, it wasn't the only one.

Timing also played a role.

When the 2007 PGA Tour was released, The International was moved from its normal dates in August to the holiday weekend after Vickers asked for a change.

He was given the option of July or September as part of the

FedExCup series, and he selected July because he didn't want to go head-to-head with the Broncos for fans' support and television ratings in September.

He also wanted to move away from August because of the weather problems that had plagued the tournament. In 21 years, there never was a year when the event didn't have at least one stoppage of play because of weather.

The strategy didn't work when it became evident the tournament also would be a tough sponsorship sell during the holiday.

"While the Fourth (of July) didn't scare me, one of our sponsors expressed a lot of concern," Vickers said. "But I still felt like we could work it out."

He also thought the change might attract a better field - namely, Tiger Woods.

Woods, who is good for sponsorship, television ratings and tickets sales, has played The International twice (1998 and 1999) in his PGA Tour career.

And, according to many golf fans - and sponsors - if you don't have Woods, you don't have a real golf tournament.

Vickers made it no secret his No. 1 goal was to get Woods to play.

It was a goal he couldn't achieve.

"There is no question that (Woods) has a profound effect when he plays," Vickers said. "He would have had the same kind of effect here that he has everywhere he goes.

"It's a phenomenon we can't do anything about. But I have nothing but the highest respect for him. We just haven't fit his schedule."

Another blow came when the PGA European Tour released its schedule and put one of its major events, the Scottish Open, on the calendar the week before The International, which would limit the field of foreign players, a group Vickers targeted when he founded and named the tournament.

"All of those things added up," Finchem said. "But there is no stop-gap solution for an $8 million shortfall."

And The International might not be the last tournament to fall off the PGA Tour schedule.

"Tim has some problems to resolve," Vickers said. "And I have some problems to resolve."

Vickers said he plans to protect the The International name for the future.

And Finchem said Denver moves to the top of prospective sites if a tournament date that would be acceptable comes open in the future.

"Denver is now on the list of cities we would want to move to," Finchem said.

"And if that happens, we will talk to Jack first."

Leaving a void

After 21 years of birdies, eagles and milkshakes, golf's best won't be visiting Castle Pines.

2 times Tiger Woods has played in The International since joining the tour in 1997.

8 million dollars is the cost for hosting a PGA Tour event.

9 times in 21 years with a title or presenting sponsor for The International.

14 million dollars was raised for charity by the tournament in its 21-year run.

21 times in 21 years the event had at least one stoppage of play because of inclement weather.

THEY SAID IT

"We need to have two or three more Tigers out there."- Jack Vickers

"Some sponsors had the perception that the Fourth of July wasn't a good weekend."

- Tim Finchem