Toshiba raises another $1 million for Hoag

Richard Dunn

The Toshiba Senior Classic enjoyed another banner year in charitable

giving Sunday, donating $1 million in net proceeds for the fourth

consecutive year.

The most philanthropic stop on the PGA Champions Tour, the Toshiba

Classic became the first on the tour to donate $1 million to charity

four straight years.

“This year’s Toshiba Senior Classic was another tremendous

success,” Toshiba executive vice president Rod Keller said. “Nothing

is more indicative of that fact than our donation to charity. We are

pleased to be able to benefit local charities in the community

where’s Toshiba’s employees live and work, and we are very proud that

charitable giving has really become a legacy of the Toshiba Senior

Classic.”

The event, operated by Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, the

lead charity of the Toshiba Senior Classic, has now exceeded $5.7

million in cash donations in the six years since Hoag became the

tournament organizer.

“We want to thank our 900 volunteers for another outstanding and

well-coordinated effort,” Toshiba Senior Classic Co-Chairman Jake

Rohrer said. “The (event) is widely regarded as one of the best-run

events on the Champions Tour and the hard work of our volunteers is a

major part of that. They are crucial to the large charitable donation

we make each year.”

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, and

in 2001 became the first to achieve the mark in back-to-back 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.

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This year’s Toshiba winner, Rodger Davis, also earned a spot in

next year’s MasterCard Championship in Hawaii. He won $232,500 for

his victory. His previous-best check on the Champions Tour was for

$108,000 when he finished third at last year’s Farmers Charity

Classic in Michigan. He won $500,000 in Australian dollars once in

1998, when he won an event with Fred Couples.

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With the win, Davis became the fourth first-time winner on the

tour in 2003 and the third in succession. Last year there were five

first-time winners all year.

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Gil Morgan took over the money lead on the tour with his tie for

sixth place and check for $58,900. Morgan has now earned $462,000 for

the year and holds a slim margin over Hale Irwin, who is next with

$456,021. Dana Quigley dropped from his top spot to third with

$438,671. He had held the lead all season since starting the year

with a win at the MasterCard Championship.

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Allen Doyle carded his third successive 68 and ran his string of

rounds in the 60s at the event to 14. Doyle finished in a tie for

eighth and finished out of the top three for the first time in five

appearances here.

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Andy Bean had a nice showing in his first start on the Champions

Tour, finishing tied for 26th and earning $13,485.

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The field averaged 70.311 for the tournament, a slight drop from

last year’s stroke average of 70.409. The most difficult hole was No.

8 (a 3.266 stroke average), while the easiest was No. 15 (4.469).