Toshiba leads way

Richard Dunn

The Toshiba Senior Classic enjoyed another banner year in 2002 in

relation to charitable giving.

In fact, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, the lead charity of

the Toshiba Senior Classic, is about to take the national stage when

the Newport Beach hospital will be featured in a 30-second public

service announcement that will run prominently during national

television programming, including PGA Tour and PGA Champions Tour

telecasts.

The spot will be filmed at Hoag Hospital during Toshiba Senior

Classic tournament week. Gary McCord, who won the event in 1999 and

grew up in Orange County, will star in the PSA. It will highlight the

charitable accomplishments of the Toshiba Classic, with particular

focus on the new Hoag Women’s Pavilion, which has benefited greatly

from tournament proceeds and is now being built on the hospital’s

campus.

“The PGA Tour handpicked a few charities that best represent the

philanthropic efforts of the Tour,” said Toshiba Classic Co-Chairman

Hank Adler. “It says a lot that Newport Beach is the first place

they’ve chosen to film on the Champions Tour. The exposure this will

generate for Hoag Hospital and Toshiba is exceptional.”

The Toshiba Senior Classic has been the charitable flag bearer on

the PGA Champions Tour. In the past five years, the tournament has

raised more than $4.7 million for over 25 different charities, the

most on the Champions Tour.

The Toshiba Senior Classic was the first Champions Tour event to

raise $1 million for charity in a single year (2000), and last year

became the first to raise $1 million in three consecutive years.

In 1998, after running its first senior tour event, Hoag was

awarded the tour’s inaugural Charity of the Year award after raising

more than $700,000 through the Toshiba Classic.