The Champions Tour heads to the Newport Beach Country Club in Newport Beach, California for the Toshiba Classic. The field boasts some of the Tour’s hottest and most consistent players. Last year’s winner, Tom Purtzer, heads a field that includes Fuzzy Zoeller, Ben Crenshaw, Gary McCord, Curtis Strange and a slew of others.
Money leader Hale Irwin is also in the field looking to maintain the lead over Dana Quigley in both the Charles Schwab Cup and the Money Leaders. Quigley trails Irwin by $271,747 in the money and by 299 points for the Cup. Mark McNulty (331), Des Smyth (277) and Tom Watson (262) round out the top five in the Charles Schwab standings.
In 2004, Purtzer shot an -11 under 60 in the first round to take a share of the Champions Tour record for low round. He became the fifth player to shoot a 60, joining Isao Aoki (1997), Walter Morgan and Bruce Fleisher (2002) and Jim Thorpe (2003). Other past winners of this event include Rodger Davis in 2003 and Gary McCord who won the event in 2002, earning his first victory on the Champions Tour. McCord needed five extra holes to defeat Allen Doyle, Al Geiberger and John Jacobs to win his first Champions Tour tournament. McCord became the first player to win on a sponsor’s exemption since Tony Jacklin in 1994.
Course information: Newport Beach CC (link via PGA.com)
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Fri 5:00-7:30 pm ET TGC Sat 5:00-7:30 pm ET TGC Sun 5:00-7:30 pm ET TGC