Toshiba’s future looking bright

Like in most good businesses, it starts with relationships. Then it

fosters. It grows. There are fruits of successes. Oh, sure, there’s

pain, hard work and lost sleep, but the end result is a continued

commitment to the community and that’s the bottom business line for

the Toshiba Senior Classic.

The three organizations working together on this PGA Champions

Tour project every year -- Hoag Hospital, the managing operator and

lead charity, Toshiba, and Newport Beach Country Club -- are so

closely aligned in business like-mindedness that the annual huge

undertaking is as much a vow from the soul as is it physical

presence.

Tournament Co-Chairman Jake Rohrer’s army of more than 900

volunteers fill all the gaps and keep everything running smoothly,

while the wizardry and financial genius of fellow Tournament Chair

Hank Adler has helped produce a seemingly endless stream of corporate

backing. But the manager of managers is Tournament Director Jeff

Purser, a hot commodity in the sports administration world these days

who said Monday he’d only leave for the right opportunity, like

“athletic director at Ohio State,” quipped the avid Buckeye fan.

Known for turning struggling tournaments around, like at Grand

Rapids, Mich., and Newport Beach in 1998, Purser would only be

interested in starting a brand new event or taking over an existing

event that needs help. But prying Purser away from Southern

California now -- he’s from Ohio his parents recently purchased a

summer home in Oceanside, where his sister lives -- will be tough.

Thank goodness. Toshiba and Hoag want to keep Purser, 36, employed

here as long as possible. For the fourth year in a row, the Toshiba

Classic donated at least $1 million to charity.

With Toshiba executive vice president Rod Keller an avid golfer

and lover of this event [Toshiba recently signed a three-year

extension with Hoag and the PGA Tour, ensuring the tournament’s

future through 2006], the event appears to have a clear path to

sustained success, especially with Newport Beach Country Club also

locked in for another three years.

“As long as Toshiba or somebody else based in Orange County

remains the title sponsor, I think the tournament will stay right

here for a long time,” said Newport Beach Country Club President

Jerry Anderson, the tournament’s chief host when you get right down

to it.

“Hoag Hospital, Toshiba and ourselves have a great working

relationship ... another thing I hear from the tour and different

players is the fact that the club wants (the players) here.

Evidently, in some cases, there are some stops on the tour where the

club perhaps aren’t so hospitable. They have the attitude of, ‘Oh,

these guys again. When are they going to get off our golf course so

we can play again?’ Some of the players say it’s sure not friendly as

certain places, but they feel warm and welcome here and appreciate

our hospitality. Our staff is excited about how they can take care of

them. But evidently some places are not like that.”

Anderson, no doubt echoing some feelings for everyone involved in

the tournament, added: “Sure, people get tired during the week and

you get a little broken down along the way. But if you’re thinking,

‘Gee, I’m tired. When is this tournament going to end?’ Then you

shouldn’t host it.”

Hoag, as Anderson mentioned, is an important community-based

charitable outlet because it’s “maybe something you might have to

use.

“With Hoag, it kind of ties everything together. They’re created a

good relationship, one we didn’t have early on.”

In May 1997, Newport Beach Country Club made a tough and somewhat

risky decision, telling the PGA Tour to forget about hosting the

event unless a new tournament operator comes in to manage it. [“The

tour’s ecstatic about that (fateful declaration in May ‘97),”

Anderson said.] That’s when the tour phoned Rohrer and invited Hoag

to come aboard. It has been an ideal, three-pronged relationship

since and provided the city of Newport Beach something to be

extremely proud of.

*

Purser added Monday that he requested to the tour the same fourth

weekend in March to host the 10th annual Toshiba Senior Classic in

2004.