News & Updates
Hale Irwin Named Breakfast with a Champion Guest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Denbo
(818) 333-6415
World Golf Hall of Fame
Member Hale Irwin to Keynote
Annual Toshiba Classic Breakfast with a Champion
Event presented by The Allergan Foundation to award two $10,000 student scholarships from the Toshiba Classic Scholarship Fund
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. (February 3, 2012)-World Golf Hall of Fame member Hale Irwin, the Toshiba Classic's only two-time champion and the most winning player on the Champions Tour, will keynote the annual Toshiba Classic Breakfast with a Champion presented by The Allergan Foundation on March 13, when Irwin will share candid notes of his life and illustrious career from more than four decades on TOUR.
The event, which begins at 7 a.m. at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa, has become a nostalgic staple in Toshiba Classic week - considered among the most memorable tournaments on tour by players and spectators alike. The intimate breakfast serves as a ground to award two top Orange County students with a $10,000 scholarship from the Toshiba Classic Scholarship Fund, one of the Classic's charitable arms comprised of Hoag Hospital Foundation and Toshiba America, Inc.
"Fostering the growth of Orange County's community is something The Allergan Foundation is quite proud to be associated with, and we value the relationships we've built with the Hoag Hospital Foundation and Toshiba to make this Breakfast of Champions happen," said Jim Hindman, president of The Allergan Foundation. "Not only is it a remarkable event to learn about golf's great athletes, but also an opportunity to give back to the area of which we're so fortunate to be a part."
Irwin, 66, was one of the world's leading PGA Tour players in the 1970s and 80s, one of only a handful of players to win three U.S. Opens (1974, 1979 and 1990). Following a PGA TOUR career in which he won 20 events and participated on five Ryder Cup teams, Irwin joined the Champions Tour in 1995 and saw even greater success in the second phase of his life. Irwin has amassed 45 wins on the Tour, including the 1998 and 2000 U.S. Senior Opens, three PGA Seniors' Championships, and the 1998 and 2002 Toshiba Classic. He is also the all-time leading money winner on the Champions Tour. Nearly a quarter century after finding a spot in professional golf, Irwin was inducted into the 2002 class of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Golf legends including Tom Kite, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Gary Player, Fuzzy Zoeller and Chi Chi Rodriguez are all past guests of the breakfast, whose tickets sell for $120 per seat. Tables are also available; contact the Toshiba Classic at 949-660-1001 to purchase.
The Toshiba Classic has set the standard for competitive play and charitable giving on the Champions Tour, regularly featuring among the tour's largest galleries thanks to Newport Beach's classic course, postcard weather and strong annual field of players. Nick Price won the 2011 Toshiba Classic with a Champions Tour-record 11-under-par 60 during the opening round that set the pace for victory. He became the fourth player in tournament history to finish wire-to-wire en route to a one-shot victory (17-under-par 196).
The $1.75 million Toshiba Classic will award a $262,500 winner's check to the 2012 champion and is televised on Golf Channel on Friday, March 16 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. PT, Saturday, March 17 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. PT, and Sunday, March 18, from 4-6:30 p.m. PT.
The Toshiba Classic's lead charity and operator is Hoag Hospital Foundation, and the 2012 tournament will benefit the Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag for the second consecutive year. The Toshiba Classic has generated more than $14 million for charity in the last 14 years, the most on the Champions Tour. Hoag Hospital Foundation also received the inaugural PGA Champions Tour Charity of the Year Award in 1998.
Tickets for the Toshiba Classic are on sale now, and run $20 if purchased in advance of tournament week or $25 at the gate. Season patron badges cost $100, which provide week-long grounds access and clubhouse admission Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Daily tickets with Clubhouse access, providing grounds and clubhouse admission, are $40 per day, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Visit www.toshibaclassic.com to purchase, or call 949-660-1001 to secure corporate packages.
About the Toshiba Classic
Hoag Hospital Foundation produces the annual Toshiba Classic and the 2012 tournament will benefit the Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag for the second consecutive year. During the last 14 years, the Toshiba Classic has generated more than $14 million for charity, the most on the Champions Tour. Televised domestically to over 81 million households on the Golf Channel, and an additional 86 million households internationally, the Toshiba Classic provides invaluable exposure for the communities of Orange County. In addition, the tournament generates an estimated $28 million in annual economic impact, benefiting the businesses of Newport Beach and Orange County. For more information, please call 949/660-1001 or log onto ToshibaClassic.com. Follow Toshiba Classic on Facebook at www.facebook.com/toshibaclassic, and on Twitter at @toshibaclassic.
About Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Hoag is a not-for-profit regional healthcare delivery network in Orange County, Calif., consisting of two acute-care hospitals, seven health centers and a network for more than 1,300 physicians, 5,000 employees and 2,000 volunteers. Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which has served Orange County since 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010, are designated Magnet hospitals by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive mix of health care services, including Centers of Excellence in cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, orthopedics and women's health. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County's most preferred hospital for the past 14 consecutive years. And for an unprecedented 15 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as the county's best hospital in a local newspaper survey. Visit www.hoag.org.
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