News & Updates
Price, Watson & Cook Commit to 2012 Toshiba Classic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Denbo
(818) 333-6415
Price, Watson and Cook Kick Off Early Toshiba Classic Commitments
Legendary golfers to tee it up at the Newport Beach Champions Tour event March 12-18
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. (January 25, 2012)-The 18th Toshiba Classic, considered among the crown jewels of the Champions Tour, received early confirmations from three major contenders: Defending Champion Nick Price, World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Tom Watson and beloved Southern California resident John Cook. All are set to take the tee March 12-18 at The Newport Beach Country Club.
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. Price, 54, won the 2011 Toshiba Classic in hot fashion including a tournament and 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).
"Southern California is passionate about great golf and having these three legends of the game kick off our signing period is an indication of the incredible field we expect this year at the Newport Beach Country Club," said Jeff Purser, Executive Director of the Toshiba Classic.
Price's illustrious PGA Tour career began in 1977, and he has since amassed 50 professional victories across a number of Tours along with an induction into the 2003 class of the World Golf Hall of Fame. He realized his first major victory in 1992 at the PGA Championship, followed by a banner year in 1994 that saw him again win the PGA Championship along with The Open Championship. During that timeframe he was considered the world's best player, earning PGA and PGA Tour Player of the Year honors in 1993-94, while sitting atop the PGA Tour Money List.
Price won his first of four Champions Tour events in 2009-the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am-followed by the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf and Principal Charity Classic in 2010 before his 2011 Toshiba Classic victory. Last year, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America presented Price with the Old Tom Morris Award, its most prestigious honor that recognizes an individual for his or her continuing lifetime commitment to the game of golf. Watson, 62, joined the PGA Tour in 1972 and only 16 years later was entered into the World Golf Hall of Fame during its 1988 induction ceremony. A six-time PGA Tour Player of the Year between 1977-1984, Watson's career has been a storied one, highlighted by an astounding 39 PGA Tour titles (and tied for 10th of all time) that include the 1977 and 1981 Masters; 1982 U.S. Open; and the 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1983 British Opens. Watson embarked on the next chapter of his golfing career when he joined the Champions Tour in 1999, capturing 13 titles including the 2001 Senior PGA Championship and the 2003, 2005 and 2007 Senior British Opens. In a thrilling run at the age of 59, he narrowly missed victory at the 2009 British Open, when he showcased his veteran golf knowledge and pure talent of the game on his way to finishing runner-up during a playoff. He joined the European Seniors Tour in 2011, and finished 13th in the Charles Schwab Cup points standings after one win and four top-10 finishes.
Cook, 54, is a Southern California legend, graduating from Miraleste High School in Rancho Palos Verdes in 1976 before embarking on his collegiate experience at The Ohio State University. After an impressive six-victory amateur run that included wins at the 1978 U.S. Amateur and the 1977 and 1979 Sunnehanna Amateur, he joined the PGA Tour in 1979, where Cook captured 11 PGA Tour titles and eight Champions Tour titles. In 2011, Cook lit up the Champions Tour with victories at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am and the Montreal Championship, concluding the season in fifth place on the Charles Schwab Cup points standing with three wins and eight Top-10 finishes. He currently resides in Corona del Mar.
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 and clubhouse admission for practice rounds and the tournament. Daily tickets providing grounds and the clubhouse are $40 per day. 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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