News & Updates
Champions Tour Rookies Kick Off Early Commitments
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. (February 6, 2013)-Six standout golfers - four of which debut on the Champions Tour in 2013 - have committed to play in the 19th Toshiba Classic, set to take the tee March 11-17 at The Newport Beach Country Club.
Rookies committed to the event include Rocco Mediate, Steve Elkington, Duffy Waldorf, Andrew Magee, and Kirk Triplett, all age 50. The Toshiba Classic is considered among the crown jewels of the Champions Tour and has set the standard for the Tour's competitive play and charitable giving, regularly featuring among the Tour's largest galleries.
"We're excited to be welcoming these six new players to Newport Beach Country Club, for one of the Champions Tour's most well-respected events," said Jeff Purser, Executive Director of the Toshiba Classic. "Only recently we were watching these players compete on the PGA TOUR, and what a special treat for spectators to now see them at a much more accessible venue."
Mediate turned professional in 1985, collecting 10 professional wins - including six PGA TOUR wins - in his career. His first win came at the 1991 Doral-Ryder Open and throughout his career he was featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings. After placing second at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Mediate scored his final PGA TOUR victory in 2010 - and his first since 2002 - when he won the Frys.com Open.
Australia native Elkington also joined the professional ranks in 1985, joining the PGA TOUR five years later. He amassed 17 professional wins, including 10 on the PGA TOUR - all in the 1990s. He was a member of the President's Cup International Team in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000, and secured his only major win in 2005 - the PGA Championship, the same year the PGA of America awarded him the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average.
Waldorf, a Los Angeles native and area favorite, played at UCLA before turning pro in 1985, the same year he was selected for the Walker Cup. Over his career he earned a total of eight professional wins, including four on the PGA TOUR. He has also been featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings.
Magee spent more than 15 years on the PGA TOUR, turning professional in 1984 before joining the Tour a year later. He collected four PGA TOUR wins between 1998 and 1994, and in 1999 won the Southern Company Citizenship Award for his work with charities.
Triplett turned professional in 1985, collecting eight professional victories including three on the PGA TOUR. Among his wins include becoming the oldest victor of the Nationwide Tour's News Sentinel Open in 2011 at the age of 49. He won his first Champions Tour event midway through the 2012 season at the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, making him the sixth player to secure wins on all three of the PGA TOUR-sponsored circuits.
The $1.75 million Toshiba Classic will award a $262,500 winner's check to the 2013 champion and is televised on Golf Channel on Friday, March 15 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. PT, Saturday, March 16 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. PT, and Sunday, March 17, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. PT. San Luis Obispo native Loren Roberts, 57, won the 2012 Toshiba Classic by two strokes, by punctuating a 10-foot putt on 18 with a fist pump to secure his 13th Champions Tour victory.
The Toshiba Classic's lead charity and operator is Hoag Hospital Foundation, and the 2013 tournament will benefit the Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag for the third consecutive year. The Toshiba Classic has generated more than $15 million for charity in the last 15 years, the most on the Champions Tour. Hoag Hospital Foundation also received the inaugural PGA Champions Tour Charity of the Year Award in 1998.
Tickets for the Toshiba Classic are on sale now, and run $20 if purchased in advance of tournament week or $25 at the gate. Season patron badges cost $100, which provide week-long grounds and clubhouse admission for practice rounds and the tournament. Daily tickets providing grounds and the clubhouse are $40 per day. Visit www.toshibaclassic.com to purchase, or call 949-660-1001 to secure corporate packages.
About the Toshiba Classic
Hoag Hospital Foundation produces the annual Toshiba Classic and the 2013 tournament will benefit the Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag for the second consecutive year. During the last 15 years, the Toshiba Classic has generated more than $15 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 $28 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. Follow Toshiba Classic on Facebook at www.facebook.com/toshibaclassic, and on Twitter at @toshibaclassic.
About the Champions Tour
Collectively, the Champions Tour has the most recognizable and accomplished players in the game with many of its 30 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame competing regularly in its events and numerous other major championship winners among its members. The Champions Tour is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, it started with just four events and purses totaling $475,000. Points earned in 26 official Charles Schwab Cup events in 2013 will determine the Charles Schwab Cup champion, the season-long competition designed to recognize the Champions Tour's leading player. The Champions Tour's primary purpose is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, protect the integrity of the game and generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays. In 2012, tournaments on all five Tours (PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, PGA TOUR Canada) generated more than $122 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR's all-time total of charitable contributions to more than $1.8 billion. The Commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Mike Stevens is President of the Champions Tour. The PGA TOUR's website is pgatour.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Follow the Champions Tour at Facebook.com/Champions Tour and on Twitter @ChampionsTour.
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