Castle Rock – After 19 years of first-class productions, The International has a “special place” status with the PGA Tour.
What that means is what The International wants, it may well get, according to PGA Tour executive Henry Hughes. And what The International wants is a better date on the PGA Tour calendar, a world championship event to put there beginning in 2007, when the schedule will be revamped, and a smaller invitational field.
The solution to all of the above could be making The International a fifth World Golf Championship (WGC) event.
Asked about that possibility, Hughes, senior vice president and chief of operations for the PGA Tour, said Monday he wouldn’t rule it out.
“We hold The International in a special place. So, if there’s a way to further maximize the tournament in the eyes of the players and the fans, we would be interested in doing that,” Hughes said.
He indicated that discussions have been held about establishing a fifth WGC event. “But, we haven’t made that determination yet,” he said.
The four current WGC tournaments are the Accenture, a match-play event in Carlsbad, Calif; the NEC Invitational at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio; the Algarve World Cup in Algarve, Portugal, a two-man team contest; and the American Express Championship in San Francisco.
“We’d be flattered if the commissioner (Tim Finchem) would say, ‘Hey, would you like to be one of these (WGC) events?”‘ The International’s executive director Larry Thiel said. “If I thought that the Tour was going to expand in that direction, I would certainly hope that they would consider us.”
The International has appealed to the PGA Tour for help on changing its date, which is the week before the PGA Championship, in order to attract the best possible field. It has been unsuccessful in getting golf’s No. 1 attraction, Tiger Woods, in recent years because of the date. Securing a WGC event would help with the date and allow it to get a world-class invitational field.
“When you think about where we are in our situation, that’s a pretty good match if we were to become one,” Thiel said.
The current PGA Tour tournament structure is expected to change in 2007 because new TV contracts that will go into effect after next season. Some of those changes are expected to be decided this fall, including possibly the addition of a fifth WGC event.
“There’s going to be a major shakeup,” Thiel said. “The commissioner has come out and stated that. He certainly understands what’s been ongoing in our memos to him.
“It’s been common knowledge that we’ve got to look at some alternatives for the future of this tournament. We’ve talked about wanting to be a true invitational tournament.”
The International would like a smaller field of 80 to 90 golfers, such as WGC events have, for a smoother operation at a tournament beset with weather delays. With 144 golfers in the field, the normal delays in play because of late-afternoon showers put the tournament in a bind on Thursdays and Fridays.
“So field size and the date are critically important to us,” Thiel said.
The International, he emphasized, is open to a new date that gives it the best possible chance of getting as many of the top golfers in the world as possible.
“We would be flexible,” Thiel said. “But you have to realize our flexibility is not that great, because at this altitude, anything prior to the third week of June would be a real risk in any given year. Whatever they want to throw on the table that makes sense to us, we’re willing to listen.”
If The International were to become a fifth WGC event, a big question would be whether it should continue to use the modified Stableford scoring system.
“Possibly,” Hughes said.
“I can’t answer that, because I don’t know,” Thiel said. “Maybe it would mean that they would want a format like ours because it would make it different. They’ve already got match play and medal play, and they’ve got a team championship. Maybe playing a Stableford would be a nice blend.”
WGC events were started in 1999 as an outgrowth of an agreement three years earlier between golf’s five leading tours – the European, Japan Golf Tour, PGA Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and South African Tour – to enhance the competitive structure of professional golf worldwide. The tournaments include the top players from the official World Golf Ranking and feature some of the largest purses in pro golf.
Schedule
TODAY
Practice rounds: All day
WEDNESDAY
Pro-ams: Shotgun starts at 7 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
THURSDAY
Round 1: Tee times begin at 7 a.m., first and 10th tees
FRIDAY
Round 2: Tee times begin at 7 a.m., first and 10th tees
SATURDAY
Round 3: Tee times begin approximately 7:45 a.m.
SUNDAY
Final round: Scheduled to start approximately 9 a.m. from first tee.
Tickets
PRICES
Today: $20
Wednesday: $25
Thursday-Sunday: $45
Patron ticket: $150, provides admission to all week days
Note: One child under 12 free with each adult admission
PURCHASING TICKETS
Visit Ticketmaster online or call Ticketmaster, 303-830-TIXS or 1-877-804-0471. Tickets also available through select Ticketmaster Christy Sports Outlets. Or through The International at 303-660-8000 or 888-755-1986; online visit golfintl.com or area golf courses
(Source: The International)
Staff writer Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303 820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
