The INTERNATIONAL

July 26, 2005
 
'Almost Winners' Join INTERNATIONAL:
Langer, DiMarco Pursue Elusive Victory
 
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. - From the land of  "almosts," two players announced today for the 2005 INTERNATIONAL are returning for yet another try at winning:
Chris DiMarco and Bernhard Langer.
They join former winner Lee Janzen, as well as Justin Rose, Tim Clark, Bob Tway and Jeff Maggert in the 2005 field for the 20th anniversary of the event at Castle Pines Golf Club, Aug. 1-7.
Consider the plight of the diligent DiMarco, who returns for the 10th time with a record of 169 career points and $711,299. He has finished in the top six here in three of the last four years.
Last year he scored 31 points in the first two rounds, taking a 9-point lead at the halfway point, needing only one point over the next 36 holes to win the event. Instead, DiMarco failed to get into positive territory for the next 36 holes (-2, -7) and wound up with 24, tied for sixth.
In 2003 when he finished fourth, DiMarco came out of the chute with 26 points after 54 holes, but ran into a buzz saw named Davis Love III, who rolled up 36 in the first two rounds and coasted to a 12-point win over Retief Goosen and Vijay Singh, who tied for second.
In the meantime, DiMarco has been enjoying his best years on the PGA Tour, including a Ryder Cup and President's Cup spot and a three Top 10s in the Masters. Chris led in Augusta by three this year through 54 holes and wound up second to Tiger Woods, who won in playoff. Had his near-miss chip shot gone in on his 72nd hole, DiMarco would have won the green jacket.
Could this be DiMarco's year at Castle Pines?
Bernard Langer could have easily won The INTERNATIONAL the first year it was played except for a double bogey at No. 11 and an unlucky tee shot at the 16th, which rolled into the bunker. That allowed Ken Green to birdie the 16th and 17th for the victory.
It was 17 years between INTERNATIONALs for the deliberate German-born Langer, who returned last year to finish ninth with 23 points and win $248,000 in 2004.
David Duval, who also will be playing this year, had the lead briefly in his first INTERNATIONAL in 1995 when he hit his ball in the water at No. 15. Duval then came within a hair of winning it four years later when he was nipped by David Toms in 1999. Duval failed to make birdie at the 18th and finished just three points shy of Toms' total of 47, although they both scored 8 in the final round.
 

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