Golf: Toshiba Classic gladly moves one week back

Richard Dunn

Weather has always been a factor in the Toshiba Senior Classic, but

this year officials of the Senior PGA Tour event at Newport Beach Country

Club are hoping for the best.

Played last year in Week 9 on the Senior Tour schedule, the event not

only managed to complete its 54-hole tournament, but got through its

pro-ams, albeit one group was limited to nine holes in a modified

afternoon format.

After five weeks of rain leading up to the 2001 Toshiba Classic, the

sixth week was mostly just dark clouds and a rainy forecast as Tournament

Director Jeff Purser once again walked Mother Nature’s fine line in early

March.

Purser has lobbied hard to the Senior Tour about changing the date of

the event, and, with record numbers donated to charity, he had two very

solid legs on which to stand.

“This week took five years off my life,” Purser said after last year’s

tournament, in which the weather forecast was the No. 1 topic of

discussion.

“In my four years here, every day in March seems to be better ... I

want 70 degrees and sunny,” added Purser, who eventually won his argument

with the Senior Tour as the Toshiba Classic, which gave another cool $1

million-plus to charity last year, was granted a schedule change.

This year’s event will be played March 4-10, which moves the

tournament back one week -- to Week 10 on the schedule.

The Toshiba Classic now falls in the middle of the tour’s West Coast

Swing, after the SBC Senior Classic in Valencia and before the Siebel

Classic in San Jose.

“We believe this is an advantageous position in the schedule,” Purser

said. “This move should help us continue to deliver one of the strongest

professional fields on tour.”

On the final day of last year’s Toshiba, rain was in the afternoon

forecast and tour officials wanted to double the tee times in the

morning. But Purser said no and the gamble paid off. In fact, nine extra

holes were played that day in a playoff without a drop of rain.

On the heels of the final-round cancellation in 2000 because of

inclement weather, Purser insisted that fans and sponsors deserved an

opportunity to watch golf in the afternoon -- just in case the weather

stayed dry. He rolled the dice and won.

The Senior Tour Qualifying School Class of 2000 did themselves proud

during the 2001 season.

Not only did three of the 16 win tournaments, but five of them

finished among the top 31 money leaders who earned fully exempt status

for 2002.

Leading the way on the money list was Bob Gilder (No. 8), followed by

Sammy Rachels (18th), John Schroeder (27th), Terry Mauney (29th) and Hugh

Baiocchi (30th).

Mauney, if you recall, was the second-round leader of the Toshiba

Classic last March, firing an 8-under-par 63 to tie a second-round record

in the Newport Beach event.

Mauney, a former sports reporter and anchor for a CBS television

affiliate in Charlotte, N.C., birdied six of the nine holes on the back

nine in his bogey-free round, including a 22-footer on the par-3 17th.

Gilder, one of five first-round leaders, followed his opening 65 with

a 5-under 66.

In the final round, Jose Maria Canizares defeated Gil Morgan in a

memorable nine-hole playoff.