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 Thursday,
Aug 10 Headline News
Schedule of Events
‘Big Easy’ Makes It
Look Easy
New Dates In '07 Early Gift
For Vickers
Another National Flag Flies
At
Castle Pines
From The Desk of Buddy Martin
Wednesday
Pro-Am Results
Thursday
Round 1 and Friday Round 2 Pairings
 ‘Big Easy’ Makes It Look Easy
By JOHN FINERAN
INTERNATIONAL Daily News
CASTLE ROCK, CO —If absence makes the heart grow fonder,
the other 143 golfers in the field for the 21st INTERNATIONAL may
be playing for second place. South
Africa’s Ernie Els, the 2000 INTERNATIONAL champion, is back
in a big way at Castle Pines Golf Club.
During Wednesday afternoon’s
pro-am, the world’s No. 7 player carded nine birdies for
+18 points and a 63, one shot off the tournament’s best medal
score set by Australia’s Greg Whisman in the first round
of the 1992 tournament and equaled by Sergio Garcia in the third
round of the 2002 tournament. “We
were so much in awe of him,” said amateur playing partner
Barry Simmons, who along with Els and partners Ron Bowden and Steve
Gribbon combined for +29 points to finish third in the afternoon
pro-am.
“It was effortless,
absolutely effortless,” remarked Gribbon after watching Els
birdie Nos. 13, 14, 17, 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 9. The birdie at the
par-3 fourth hole was the result of a holed bunker shot. Els came
within an inch of holing another bunker shot for birdie at the
par-3 16th. “Ernie’s
never swung it better,” said Jim Flood, a business partner.
“He sure looked relaxed,” said
Castle Pines member Jimmy Vickers, the 1952 NCAA individual champion
at Oklahoma and the brother of tourney and club founder Jack A.
Vickers. In other words,
golf’s Big Easy is back, baby, and he should be considered
a threat this week and next week at the PGA Championship at Medinah
in suburban Chicago.
A year ago at this time, the
36-year-old Els was recuperating after suffering a knee injury
while sailing in the Mediterranean that required surgery following
the British Open at St. Andrews. Els
returned with a bang by winning the Dunhill Championship at Leopard
Creek but has not revisited the winner’s circle. On the PGA
Tour, he has six Top 10 finishes and has earned almost $1.4 million.
In the first three majors of the year, Els finished 27th at the
Masters, 26th in the U.S. Open and third in the British Open at
Royal Liverpool.
“It’s a good feeling
when you’ve done a lot of work and it starts paying off,” Els
said. His absence from
the 2005 field was deeply felt by the friends he has made among
the Vickers’ family, the Castle Pines members and Colorado’s
golf fans. It was The INTERNATIONAL that gave Els his first exemption
on the PGA Tour in 1991.
“It was really disappointing
to miss last year,” Els said. “It’s wonderful
to be back.” Since
coming to America, Els has won two U.S. Opens, a British Open and
become the all-time leader for points (+344) and money earnings
(more than $1.6 million) at Castle Pines.
“It’s great to
have Ernie back,” Jack Vickers said. “He’s a
wonderful guy, he’s been very loyal to us and he has played
great golf here.” After
Wednesday’s 63, you have to wonder if the best is yet to
come for Ernie Els.
New
Dates In 2007 Early Gift For Vickers
By JOHN FINERAN
INTERNATIONAL Daily News
CASTLE ROCK, CO — Jack Vickers, the founder of Castle
Pines Golf Club and The INTERNATIONAL, never stops trying to make
his tournament, which celebrates its 21st birthday this week, the
best on the PGA Tour.
Sometimes, Vickers’ efforts interfere
with his everyday life. It says a lot about the businessman/sportsman that he
had to be reminded by wife Cally that Tuesday was his 81st birthday.
Next year,
he won’t have that problem.
Next year, The 22nd INTERNATIONAL will be played July 2-8, dates that Vickers
feels will help his tournament continue to grow.
“The dates will be helpful to us as
far as weather and the opportunity to get the best players,” Vickers said
Wednesday during a breakfast meeting with the media.
August tournament dates
have been a thorn in Vickers’ side, particularly with the tournament coming
either the week before or after the PGA Championship. Many of the top players
in the world have skipped their usual trek to the Rocky Mountain foothills because
of its closeness to the year’s final major. Plus, Colorado’s weather,
particularly late-afternoon thunderstorms, has been a problem as well. The previous
20 tournaments all have been delayed by thunderstorms.
“Today, we have all the
players but one,” Vickers continued, “and that’s
the most important guy.” Vickers
was talking about Tiger Woods, the world’s No. 1 player who
has played in just two previous INTERNATIONALS, finishing fourth
in his 1998 debut and then missing the final round in 1999. Woods,
who won last week’s Buick Open, likes to take the week off
before a major to prepare.
Next year, the tournament comes
two tournaments after the U.S. Open and one tournament in front of
the British Open. Woods has traditionally played the Western Open,
which usually had the Fourth of July dates, because of his friendship
with the Western Golf Association. Woods
likely will defend his title at the Buick Open next June 25-July
1 and probably would consider playing here with the John Deere Classic
coming before next year’s British Open.
“We think we have a good
relationship with Tiger and his management,” Vickers said. “We’ve
got our fingers crossed and will continue to work hard.” Some
of the work will be devoted to making the Fourth of July holiday
an important part of The INTERNATIONAL.
“Only one of our sponsors
was concerned,” Vickers said. “They think it’s
a great opportunity to grow the tournament. We’re going to
jazz it up, have some entertainment, make it into a weekly festival.” Vickers
believes the par-72, 7,619-yard Jack Nicklaus design has never been
in better condition. That’s a credit to superintendent Marshall
Fearing and his staff and also Mother Nature.
“In my opinion, this is
the best golf course we’ve ever had,” Vickers said. “It’s
always been good and the playing surfaces have been excellent. This
year, Mother Nature has provided us rain and we’ve got a better
rough, which is four inches thick and very uniform around the course.” Jack
Vickers wouldn’t want it any other way, which is why The INTERNATIONAL
will always be top notch.
Another National
Flag Flies At Castle Pines
 By JOHN FINERAN
INTERNATIONAL Daily News
CASTLE ROCK, CO — For a country with more than 1.3
billion citizens, it was only a matter of time before golf got
a toehold in the People’s Republic of China.
The first golf
course was built in 1984 and now there are more than 250, producing
future stars on the world stage.
 Two
of them — Zhang Lian-Wei and Liang Wen-Chong — are
at Castle Pines this week for the 21st INTERNATIONAL. They represent
the first golfers from the People’s Republic of China to ever
play in the tournament, which has hosted players from 39 countries
during its existence. “To come to play in the United States
and play on the PGA Tour is very exciting,” said the 28-year-old
Liang, who is making his American debut, as many foreign golfers
have throughout the years at The INTERNATIONAL. “But without
Zhang as a pioneer and trailblazer as the first professional golfer
to go out of China, I would not be here today.”
The 41-year-old Zhang, who is recognized as China’s most successful
golfer ever produced, first played in the United States at the 2004
Masters, shooting rounds of 77 and 72 at Augusta National to miss
the 36-hole cut by one shot. He later made the cut at the 2004 FedEx
St. Jude Classic (T47) but then missed the cut at The Memorial No
bad for someone who didn’t start playing golf until he was
20 and spent his first couple of years teaching himself the game
while he caddied.
“Before that, there was no golf courses for me to play,” Zhang
said. “The speed of growth in China is really fast. On the
tournament side over 10 years ago, we had the World Cup in China.
Now we have five European tour events and the HSBC Champions event
in Shanghai. The direct reason for the growth has to do with the
economic growth in China.” Also spurring the growth among
juniors, who number more than a couple 100,000, is the world’s
No. 1 golfer, Tiger Woods, whose mother Kultida is from Thailand.
Woods has played events in the Far East and China.
“I’ve played with Tiger three times,” said Zhang,
who has won events in China, including the 2003 Caltex Singapore
Masters, a European Tour event, where he beat Ernie Els. “I
think Tiger is a tremendous golfer and a superstar in sports. Every
golfer can look at him and learn from him.” Zhang, who actually
was supposed to have made his Castle Pines debut two years ago, but
his wife was pregnant and scheduled to deliver around the tournament
dates. She delivered a boy and he was named Tiger.”
Liang refers to Zhang as his big brother. “Basically, I
am following Zhang’s road because he was there first and experienced
it all,” said Liang, who won the Omega China Tour’s Hainan
Leg and has a number of Top 10 finishes on the Japan Tour. “I’m
hoping in the next 10 years we’ll continue to progress and
make it to the bigger stage.”
There are few stages bigger than
The INTERNATIONAL.
 From
The Desk of Buddy Martin
Sergio and Ernie Make Their Point(s)
Some of the PGA Tour’s stars are peaking at just the right time – among
them Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia, both of whom racked up 18 points in Wednesday’s
Pro-Ams.
This not only bodes well for them in this week’s INTERNATIONAL, but also
in next week’s PGA at Medinah.
“If you play well here this week,” said Els, winner of the 2000 INTERNATIONAL, “you
have a chance next week. I think it’s great to be in an aggressive and
positive frame of mind.”
Sergio is tuning up for his return to Medinah, where he won the hearts of golf
fans by bunny hopping down the fairway to view his rescue shot from behind a
tree. It was in the 1999 PGA that he opened with a 66 and, in a duel Tiger Woods,
finished just one stroke behind him.
Wait a Second!
Second place in The INTERNATIONAL is not a bad place to be, as proven by the
number of tournament champions and majors winners who have finished there.
There have been eight majors winners who finished second, representing 15 major
titles:
Bernhard Langer, 1986 (Masters twice); Ian Baker-Finch, 1991 (British Open);
Lee Janzen, 1991 (U.S. Open twice); Mark Calcavecchia, 1993 (British Open); Ernie
Els, 1995 (U. S. Open twice; British Open); Phil Mickelson, T2 1998 and second
in 2000 (Masters twice, PGA), David Duval, 1999 (British); Retief Goosen,
2003 (U.S. Open twice); (Masters twice, PGA); Mickelson, 2000 (Masters twice,
PGA).
There have also been three INTERNATIONAL champions who finished second either
before or after winning here.
These winners also came second: 1992 winner Brad Faxon (playoff with Clarence
Rose, 1996); 2000 champ Ernie Els (one point behind two-time U.S. Open champion
winner Lee Janzen in 1995); and 1986 winner Ken Green (two points behind winner
John Cook in 1987).
Flashback to 1986
Bernhard Langer had a chance to win the first INTERNATIONAL when his near-perfect
iron shot at No. 16 landed close to the pin and his ball trickled into the collection
bunker. He made double bogey there and dropped into second behind the eventual
winner, Ken Green. Bernhard says he doesn’t remember – “I try
to forget all that stuff,” the two-time Masters winner said this week.
By the Numbers
Truly global: The INTERNATIONAL has featured players from 38 countries over 20
years … Milkshake Watch: Players, families, and friends have consumed
929 over three days through Wednesday … Longest current streak of appearances
here belongs to Steve Lowery, making his 14th straight, followed by David Duval,
making his 12th.
Today’s Quote
“We all feel like animals hitting the ball 330 yards comfortably.” – Defending
champion Retief Goosen, on the Colorado altitude.
And good morning…
… to newborn Hannah Hunt, born on July 18. Please be advised
that your daddy (KUSA’s David Hunt) would rather be home with
you this week than working at Castle Pines.
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