Legendary icon, World Golf Hall of Famer and timeless golf personality Lee Trevino has committed to play in his third consecutive Toshiba Classic, March 1-7 at Newport Beach Country Club. At age 70, Trevino is the oldest player in the Toshiba Classic field.

The $1.7 million Toshiba Classic, the only Southern California event on the Champions Tour, awards a $255,000 winner’s check and will be televised on Golf Channel on Friday, March 5 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. PT and Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7, from 3:30-6 p.m. PT.

One of the most revered figures in golf history, Trevino is a 1981 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee who has won 29 times each on the PGA and Champions Tours. He owns six PGA TOUR majors with the 1968 and 1971 U.S. Opens, 1971 and 1972 British Opens and 1974, and 1984 PGA Championships. He holds four Champions Tour majors: the 1990 U.S. Senior Open, 1992 and 1994 PGA Seniors’ Championships and the 1992 Tradition.

The 1967 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, Trevino won five Vardon Trophies (low scoring average), played on six U.S. Ryder Cup teams and captained the 1985 Ryder Cup team. When he won the 1968 U.S. Open, Trevino became the first player in U.S. Open history to shoot under par and in the 60s in all four rounds. He has had many commercial and movie credits, such as his role in the popular golf movie, “Happy Gilmore.”

“Lee Trevino is a name that speaks for itself in golf and across the world’s sporting landscape because of his incredible achievement throughout his career,” Toshiba Classic Tournament Executive Director Jeff Purser said. “Combine that with the fact that he is still one of golf’s iconic personalities and fan favorites, his presence in the Toshiba Classic field should not be taken for granted by golf fans who should consider themselves fortunate to still have an opportunity to watch a living legend compete in professional golf.”

The Toshiba Classic will be Trevino’s second Champions Tour start of 2010. He played in only six Tour events last year, four in 2008, and six in 2007. His best finish at the Toshiba Classic was a tie for fourth place in 1996, and he did post his best Champions Tour round of 2009 in the first round of the Toshiba Classic (even-par 71), so the possibility of him accomplishing the rare feat of shooting his age in next week’s Classic is a real one.

The Toshiba Classic has cultivated perhaps its best field in its 16-year history and received new commitments from Hall of Famer Curtis Strange, Champions Tour rookie Tom Lehman, San Diego natives and major champions Scott Simpson (1987 U.S. Open) and Craig Stadler (1982 Masters), and two-time Champions Tour major winner Peter Jacobsen, who missed the 2009 Classic while recovering from left shoulder surgery.

Headlining the Toshiba Classic’s early field is 2009 British Open runner-up and 39-time PGA TOUR winner Tom Watson, Champions Tour rookie Fred Couples, 2008 Toshiba Classic champion Bernhard Langer, the 2008 and 2009 Champions Tour Player of the Year and Arnold Palmer Award (money list champion) and Byron Nelson Award (low scoring average) winner, 2009 Charles Schwab Cup points champ Loren Roberts, 2007 Toshiba Classic champion Jay Haas, the 2006 and 2007 Champions Tour Player of the Year and Arnold Palmer Award winner, current U.S. Senior Open champion Fred Funk, Corona del Mar resident John Cook, and former Mission Viejo resident and 2009 Toshiba Classic runner-up Mark O’Meara.

La Quinta resident Couples is among a quartet of Champions Tour rookies, including Oxnard native Corey Pavin, Paul Azinger and Lehman, who have accounted for 47 PGA TOUR titles and four majors, and will play their first Toshiba Classic. Couples won his first Champions Tour event Feb. 14 at the ACE Group Classic.

All of the golfers will be after the Toshiba Classic title currently held by Argentina’s Eduardo Romero, previously committed to the Classic. Last year, Romero shot a final-round, 3-under-par 68, rolling in four birdies on the first six holes on the back nine to become the fourth international (non-U.S.) player to win the Toshiba Classic. Romero’s 11-under-par 202 gave him his fourth victory in his last 10 Champions Tour starts, fifth Champions Tour win overall and his 100^th professional triumph worldwide.

The Toshiba Classic also received prior commitments from World Golf Hall of Famers Isao Aoki, Hale Irwin (the Classic’s only two-time winner, in 1998 and 2002, and the Champions Tour’s all-time leading money winner with a record 45 Champions Tour titles), Tom Kite, Larry Nelson, Nick Price, Lanny Wadkins. Including Trevino, Watson, Langer and Strange, the Classic currently boasts 10 World Golf Hall of Famers.

Watson began 2010 by winning the Wendy’s Champions Skins Game in Maui before besting Couples in a final-round duel at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai to gain his 13^th Champions Tour title and his first since turning 60 in September. Watson became the 15^th player to win on the Champions Tour at age 60 or older. The most decorated golfer in the field, Watson owns eight major championships and 13 Champions Tour titles, including six majors.

Langer, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002, was named the inaugural World No. 1 when the Official World Golf Rankings were introduced in 1986. With his victory in Boca Raton last weekend, Langer tallied nine Champions Tour titles in three years.

Daily tickets for the Toshiba Classic are $20 if purchased in advance, or $25 at the gate. Season clubhouse badges, providing admission to the grounds and clubhouse for practice rounds and the tournament, are $100. All tickets and corporate packages can be obtained by calling 949-660-1001 or at www.ToshibaClassic.com.

The Toshiba Classic’s lead charity and operator is Hoag Hospital Foundation. During the last 12 years, the Toshiba Classic has generated more than $12.1 million for charity, the most on the Champions Tour. Hoag Hospital Foundation also received the inaugural PGA Champions Tour Charity of the Year Award in 1998.

Toshiba Classic supporters can congregate online at its official fan pages on Facebook (www.facebook.com, search “Toshiba Classic”) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/ToshibaClassic). Register to become a fan or follower of the Toshiba Classic at each fan page, meet and chat with new friends and golf fans, and stay up to date on all tournament and player information. Tournament information, statistics, activities and updates are also available at the tournament’s official web site, www.ToshibaClassic.com.

The Toshiba Classic
Hoag Hospital Foundation produces the annual Toshiba Classic. During the last 12 years, the Toshiba Classic has generated more than $12.1 million for charity, the most on the Champions Tour. Televised domestically to over 81 million households on The Golf Channel, and an additional 86 million households internationally, the Toshiba Classic provides invaluable exposure for the communities of Orange County. In addition, the tournament generates an estimated $25 million in annual economic impact, benefiting the businesses of Newport Beach and Orange County. For more information, please call 949/660-1001 or log onto ToshibaClassic.com.