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 be 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.

“I played with Freddie yesterday.  Freddie can play lousy and shoot 67,” said Black, who credited Couples with attracting some of the largest crowds the Champions Tour will see all year. 

“This crowd out here, we have a little bit bigger crowd out here at Newport than what we have at some of the other events. With Freddie, it's a little bit more tricky, I think. Freddie makes people excited.”

Which Couples took pains to notice.

“There were a lot of people out there today,” he said. “I still get decent crowds, but if I play well, I get more. But to come out and play in front of a lot of people is more fun for all of us. And I know that not everyone has all of the galleries out there. But so far in the pairings that I've had, I've had good galleries and it's a lot of fun.”

Those were some of the golfing highlights to a week in which the Toshiba Classic – long recognized and acknowledged as the standard for charitable contributions on the Champions Tour – raised $900,000 for charity.

The Toshiba Classic
Hoag Hospital Foundation produces the annual Toshiba Classic. During the last 13 years, the Toshiba Classic has generated more than $13 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.

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