Toshiba Classic raises at least $1M for hospital

The Toshiba Classic drew a crowd of more than 82,500 people this month and topped its attendance from the previous year, officials for the Newport Beach golf tournament announced this week.

The tournament also prolonged its streak by raising $1 million or more for Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian for the ninth year in a row. The Toshiba Classic staff presented the hospital with a check for $1 million Sunday, although Ira Garbutt, the tournament’s chairman, said the amount may increase as his office totals additional revenues in the coming weeks. He added, though, that he didn’t expect the total to exceed the record $1.3 million from last year.

“It was a difficult economic environment this year, and we’re pleased with the million,” Garbutt said. “We have a tradition going, and we can say we’ve raised $11 million in 11 years.”

One who can vouch for the Toshiba Classic’s success this year is Bill McKenney, the man in charge of the tournament’s trash pickup team. Last week, he said, he and his crew kept busier than ever before — although he noted that patrons did a good job of keeping their trash in the bins and off the ground.

“The volume was great,” McKenney said. “More people partied later in the evenings. We had a younger crowd, which contributed to the amount of refuse we collected.”

— Michael Miller