Toshiba Senior Classic Golf: Toshiba spice girls
Richard Dunn
NEWPORT BEACH - As if this year’s Toshiba Senior Classic wasn’t
spiced up enough, models from a local talent company are selling lottery
tickets this weekend at Newport Beach Country Club to help raise money
for the event’s managing charity, Hoag Hospital.
Each ticket is $100 and fans can win several prizes, including golf
vacations and a Wave Runner, which is featured high above the putting
green area on a scaffolding.
The models, who wear waitress aprons, are part of Candee Horn’s talent
outfit called Candace Hom Images Company. Horn said the drawing today is
at 5:45 p.m. -- or shortly after the final round.
For the second day in a row Saturday, Toshiba officials cashed in on
some of the Senior PGA Tour’s new initiatives by hosting a fan-involved
Question & Answer session with Fuzzy Zoeller and Chi Chi Rodriguez after
the second round.
An estimated crowd of 300 listened and participated Saturday with
Zoeller and Rodriguez, who were great with the audience.
Also, tournament officials dropped the ropes on 18 so fans could follow the leaders (Hale Irwin and Allen Doyle) up the fairway.
Doyle shot 3-under 68 in the second round, his 10th straight round
under 70 in the tournament in as many starts, but was disappointed with
his finish.
Doyle had a one-shot lead over Irwin heading to the par-5 15, the
easiest hole on the golf course. But Doyle missed his birdie chance and
Irwin didn’t. Irwin also birdied 16 to take the lead, then Doyle bogeyed
17 to fall two shots behind.
“Hale played a great round, but I have to be a shade unhappy after
what happened going into 15,” said Doyle, who hopes to post a mid-60s
score today in the final round to put pressure on Irwin.
It is far from an exact science, but Toshiba Classic tournament
director Jeff Purser has provided an educated-guess crowd estimate for
the event each day, with Friday’s attendance coming in between 17,000 and
18,000 -- the same figure for the Sunday round last year when the weather
was poor.
Saturday’s crowd as estimated at 24,000, bigger than last year’s
second round (20,000 to 21,000).
Purser said he does not hold up a thumb and take one big look at the
crowd, then guess at an attendance figure.
“I look at all the gate receipts, the exchanged coupons and badges
counted and count the people we had on the shuttle buses, then look at
cash receipts on food sales, make sure everything gels, then evaluate
everything and arrive at a number,” he once said. “I won’t (exaggerate).”
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