The PGA Tour is pulling the plug on The International, a tournament known for its unique scoring system and held on a Castle Pines golf course in the mile-high air south of Denver.

Commissioner Tim Finchem and golf course founder and president Jack Vickers spent the last two weeks in a futile final effort to find a corporate sponsor. The International has been without a title sponsor since 1999, and without any corporate sponsorship since 2003.

The cancellation leaves a hole in the PGA Tour schedule on July fifth through the eighth, but officials have been working on a contingency plan for the last month and are expected to announce a replacement by April.

The leading candidate is Washington, the largest U.S. market without a PGA Tour event. The nation's capital hosted a tournament from 1968 until last year, when title sponsor Booz Allen bailed out because the event was not included as part of the FedExCup portion of the schedule.

Other markets under consideration are Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Kansas City, Missouri.

The International began in 1986 and used a modified Stableford scoring system, rewarding points for eagles and birdies and deducting points for bogeys or worse.