CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Start with those hand-spun milkshakes , that crazy scoring system and the seal of approval from Jack Nicklaus himself. Throw in some great mountain views and a chance to escape the same ol’-same ol’, and Castle Pines had the makings of one of those can't-miss stops on pro golf's unrelenting calendar.
But too many players did, in fact, skip the tournament called the International. Most notable was Tiger Woods, who only showed up twice over 21 years and, thus, played a role in sealing its fate. This week, for the first time since the International’s final round in 2006, the PGA Tour is back at the course — situated 6,300 feet above sea level and 25 miles south of downtown Denver — that oil magnate Jack Vickers built with a big assist from his buddy, Nicklaus.
The BMW Championship, which opens Thursday at Castle Pines, is the second of the tour's three playoff events. In one way, the week is a typical high-stakes PGA Tour pressure cooker. In another, it's a trip down memory lane.
“Jack Vickers was an oil man — wildcatting, and he was used to high risk, high reward,” said Buddy Martin, the onetime Denver Post sports columnist who took a break from writing a few years after Vickers approached him under the big oak tree at the Masters in the 1980s and asked him to help put on the International. “When he put this together, he did everything he could to be unique,” Martin said. RELATED: Castle Pines is both Beautiful but Challenging Credit: .