Golf: Toshiba Classic no longer alone on West Coast

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - The Toshiba Senior Classic finally has some

company.

The Senior PGA Tour stop at Newport Beach Country Club has enjoyed

tremendous success on and off the golf course in recent years, but has

always been an island on the West Coast.

As organizers gear up for the seventh annual Toshiba Classic Feb. 26

through March 4, player recruiting and media coverage should increase

with the addition of two other events in California that will follow the

Toshiba Classic.

Call it the 2001 West Coast Swing.

Next year, the Toshiba Classic will once again occupy week nine of the

calendar, but it will be followed by the SBC Senior Classic and the new

Senior Tour stop in San Jose. The SBA Senior Classic previously was held

in October at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles.

For the first time in its history, the Toshiba Classic will not be

relegated to an isolated spot on the Senior Tour schedule. In six years,

the event has never been followed by another California stop, let alone

two.

“The biggest advantage should be with player recruitment because we’ll

be able to develop some synergy with the other events,” Toshiba Classic

tournament director Jeff Purser said Monday.

“In the past, we’ve been faced with the challenge of asking players to

travel out here for a single event. Our playing fields have always been

strong, but we definitely anticipate them getting even better.”

In 2000, the Toshiba event was wedged between tournaments in Sarasota,

Fla., and Puebla, Mexico. In 1999, members of the Senior Tour traveled

from Naples, Fla., to Newport Beach Country Club, then back to St.

Augustine, Fla.