Toshiba Classic • March 7-13, 2011
The Toshiba Classic is one of the most exciting weeks of the year in Orange County. For seven days in March, Newport Beach welcomes the legends of the golf world. One of the most successful tournaments in Champions Tour history, the Toshiba Classic has raised over $13 million in the past 13 years for its lead beneficiary Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian as well as other Orange County charities. Be a part of the action this March- join us for the 2011 Toshiba Classic!
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 7, 2010 – He was largely responsible for some of the biggest crowds in Toshiba Classic history. At the same time, Fred Couples was responsible for one of the lowest scores in Toshiba Classic history.
Couples may be a rookie on the Champions Tour, but he’s no rookie to the crowds of fans who flocked to Newport Beach Country Club to watch the popular 50-year-old become the sixth player to win the Toshiba Classic in his event debut.
And Couples didn’t disappoint. Using a final-round 6-under-par 65, Couples treated the more than 24,000 fans at Newport Beach Country Club to a four-shot victory. That brought him home at 18-under-par 195, good for a dominating, four-shot victory over Ronnie Black.
The three-round score of 195 was one shot off Jay Haas’ Toshiba Classic record set three years ago. Couples did, however, write his name in the event record book with a front-nine 30 during his second-round 64.
Putting Couples’ dominating performance into perspective, here are some of the names he left in his commanding wake: Tom Lehman (12-under), another Toshiba Classic rookie with a major championship to his credit (1996 British Open), was six back, tied with Chien-Soon Lu, who earned his second consecutive top-10 finish.
Tom Watson, winner of eight PGA TOUR majors, five Champions Tour majors and 52 titles on both tours, employed the tournament’s best round – a 9-under 62 Sunday – finished T5 with Loren Roberts. Corey Pavin and John Cook tied for seventh at 9-under.
“I think this is a great Tour,” Couples said. “I think it’s got great players, big names and I feel good about being on the Tour. And I certainly think that I’m helping the Tour and I am helping myself by winning two out of three (events).”
Couples’ second victory in three Champions Tour starts came in front of a weekly attendance of more than 75,000, an estimated 5,000 of which followed him, Watson and Mark O’Meara around during a record Friday attendance-wise at Newport Beach Country Club.
It also brought Couples $255,000, a Toshiba laptop and 255 Charles Schwab Cup points, not to mention the envy of his peers, who were in awe of the fact that in his nine Champions Tour rounds, Couples is 56-under par.
Long recognized and acknowledged as the standard for charitable contributions on the Champions Tour – the 2010 Toshiba Classic raised $900,000 for charity.
“The success of the Toshiba Classic starts with the commitment to the community led by Toshiba, the support of our sponsor family and our hard working volunteers who are all dedicated to Hoag Hospital and our community,” said Ira Garbutt, Tournament Chairman.
As part of Toshiba’s commitment to the community, the Toshiba Classic Scholarship Fund awarded two local high school seniors $10,000 and a Toshiba laptop to assist with their future education. Over the past 11 years, the Toshiba Classic Scholarship Program has provided over $189,000 in scholarships, $250,000 in support of local schools and 110 Toshiba laptops to deserving local high school seniors. more...