The INTERNATIONAL

INTERNATIONAL Galaxy of Stars Grows: Weir,
Couples, Allenby, Appleby, Hamilton, Parnevik
 
 CASTLE ROCK, Colo. - Here's a hint about the rapidly growing Galaxy of Stars which will be shining brightly next week at The INTERNATIONAL: They include a couple of Masters green jackets, the Claret Jug, two mates from Down Under and a flashy dressing Swede.
 The 20th anniversary of an event, which was originally designed to attract top players from all over the globe, just picked up some top names in the game on Wednesday.
 Joining an already stellar cast are veteran Fred Couples, Mike Weir, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Todd Hamilton and Jesper Parnevik.
 "This field is coming together very nicely and it could turn out to be one of our best," said Executive Director Larry O. Thiel. "I know there are a couple of other big names pending which I expect to be able to confirm within the next 24 hours."
 Couples, winner of the 1992 Masters, is enjoying a rejuvenation this year which has included a tie for fifth at Augusta and a tie for third at the British Open. The former two-time Players Championship winner will be making his eighth trip to Castle Pines, where he has made the finals in his last two appearances, 2002 and2003. He has 74 career points and $83,293. On the PGA Tour this year, Couples has earned $1,459,046 in 14 Tour tournaments, 27th on the money list.
 Weir's tie for fifth at Augusta this year was a bounce back after missing the cut in 2004 as the defending champion. He finished in the top 10 for the fifth time in his last six appearances at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, collecting his sixth career runner-up finish. So far this year in 17 Tour events, Weir has cashed checks totaling $1,146,471. This is Weir's sixth trip to Castle Pines, where his best finishes came in 1998 and 2000 when he made it to the final round. He has 62 career points and $79,600 in money.
 It hasn't been the kind of year Todd Hamilton was hoping for, but the 2003 British Open Champion tied for 12th here last year with 22 points, which earned him$105,000 in just his second appearance at Castle Pines.
Appleby, always a crowd favorite in Colorado, became the first back-to-back winner in 22 years at the Mercedes Championship this year. He is 26th on the money list this season with $1,499,832 in earnings. This will be Stuart's 10th INTERNATIONAL, where his late wife Renay is honored with a caddie scholarship in her name. He has won $629,582 and scored 173 points - a total of 41 twice as a runner-up to Phil Mickelson in 1997 and a third to Ernie Els in 2000.
Stuart's good friend and fellow countryman Robert Allenby has also committed, though he has enjoyed moderate success here with $178,398 and 87 points. He is currently 66th on the money list with $759,763. His only Top 10 this season was after a 69-67 to finish T7 at rain-shortened Nissan Open.
This has been a down year for the colorful Parnevik, who has earned just $312,035 through last week. Jesper makes his fifth start at Castle Pines, where he made his first final round appearance in 1998 and won $40,000 with 32 points.
Thiel also announced that K. J. Choi, Frank Lickliter, Patrick Sheehan and Kevin Sutherland would be added to the field.
To purchase tickets to The INTERNATIONAL, call 888-755-1986, or visit www.golfintl.com. 
 
 
Media inquiries should be directed to Jonna Busack at 303-814-6287 or via e-mail at jbusack@golfintl.com.  Presenting Sponsors of The INTERNATIONAL are First Data, Great-West Healthcare, StorageTek, ADT Security Services, and Ciber.  Coors is a   Contributing Sponsor.