CASTLE ROCK — More than 27 months have passed since The International was shuttered at Castle Pines Golf Club following a 21-year run on the PGA Tour, and tournament and club founder Jack Vickers said Thursday he misses it.
“But I guess the good Lord gave me enough sense to feel what was coming (with the economic downturn),” Vickers said. “Had I signed that five-year contract (with the Tour), we’d be losing a lot of money. I didn’t want to put the club in that kind of posture.”
Vickers said he would like to bring a high-profile golf event back to Castle Pines, but the economy has put any serious discussions on hold.
“We’ve talked about different things,” Vickers said. “I just think we’re probably not going to do anything until the economy turns around.
“We’ve talked about a Walker Cup. We’ve talked about the Presidents Cup. There have been a lot of different ideas. There’s no target date, nothing in the mill.”
Despite his well-documented differences with PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, Vickers did not rule out the possibility of returning an annual Tour event to Castle Pines. But Vickers hinted it would have to be a tournament with enough stature to attract Tiger Woods on a regular basis.
“I don’t know what will happen down the line,” Vickers said. “I think there will be other opportunities. The Tour is going to have some (financial) bumps. They’ve already shown up.
“The problem is getting (television) ratings. If you don’t have ratings you’re not going to get (sponsorship) support. That’s kind of where we are.”
Vickers chatted Thursday in the Castle Pines clubhouse after the first round of his Jack A. Vickers Invitational. The annual charity event is expected to raise more than $200,000 for Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. A separate fund has been established to help finance the construction of a new Boys and Girls Club facility (probably in the Green Valley Ranch area near Denver International Airport) that will bear Vickers’ name.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Denver has been a favorite charity of Vickers for more than two decades.
“When you see what the world is all about today, especially with so many kids headed for trouble, it’s important to help,” Vickers said.
Vickers said he stays in touch with touring pros and television executives and attended the PGA Tour’s Buick Invitational at San Diego in early February. Vickers spends the winter months at his second home, in the Palm Springs, Calif., area.
Ironically, the ranking of Castle Pines Golf Club on some top-100 lists in golf magazines has risen since the demise of The International.
“I think the reputation of our place here, the golf course, the club, it shows people haven’t forgotten about us,” Vickers said. “Who knows what the future will bring?”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
