David Duval heads a list of top names
including all 14 previous winners at The
International this week, the only stop on the U.S. Tour using a modified Stableford
scoring system.
"It's really exciting to think that
all 14 winners are going to be competing this year, which adds a certain historical
dimension," said tournament executive director Larry Thiel.
The one big omission is Tiger Woods,
who is taking the week off.
Newly crowned British Open champion
Duval will be challenged by defending champion Ernie Els and world number two
Phil Mickelson, the 1993 and 1997 champion and who finished second to Els last
year.
Nearly all of the other prominent U.S.
Tour players are in picturesque Castle Pines, as is Spaniard Sergio Garcia, Vijay
Singh and 1989 champion Greg Norman.
Other entrants for the event starting
on Thursdady include John Daly, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sunday's John Deere Classic
winner, David Gossett, who played last year on a sponsor's exemption.
The International was founded in 1986
with a philosophy of inviting as many overseas players as possible.
More than 50 non-Americans are now
regular members of the U.S. Tour but The International remains one of the favourite
events.
Castle Pines is also one of its prettiest
courses, many players taking advantage by renting luxurious houses with mountain
views that dot the area.
The Stableford format also gives the
event a unique twist.
The system awards eight points for
double eagle, five for eagle, two for birdie, zero for par, and deducts one point
for bogey and three for double bogey or worse.
That encourages aggressive, attacking
golf, with the reward for birdie greater than the penalty for bogey.
The par-five 17th -- reachable in two
shots for most players -- is often a pivotal hole.
Furthermore, due to the altitude of
more than 5,000 feet, players hit the ball roughly 10 percent further than at
sea level.
The purse for The International is
$4 million, with $720,000 going to the winner.
