Toshiba ready to take off

Bryce Alderton

The greens are mowed, the sand in the bunkers is neatly raked,

bleachers dot the lush, emerald-green landscape ... it’s time to play

golf.

Seventy-eight of the Champions Tour’s best will make their way to

Newport Beach this week for the 10th annual Toshiba Senior Classic,

which officially begins with Friday’s first round at Newport Beach

Country Club.

But tournament week kicks off at 12:45 p.m. today with the first

of three pro-am days. Tuesday’s festivities will feature the

Champions’ Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at the Newport Beach Marriott in

Fashion Island, where the comedic Fuzzy Zoeller, Chi Chi Rodriguez

and Rodger Davis -- the defending champion -- will attempt to

entertain the crowd. Player practice rounds will be throughout the

day.

This year’s tournament is like no other because of one person --

Jack Nicklaus.

The Hall of Famer is making his Toshiba Senior Classic debut and

third Champions Tour start this year.

The only other time Nicklaus has golfed in a professional

competitive setting in Orange County was at the Hyundai Team Matches,

which was played at Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Coast.

Tournament officials are anticipating Nicklaus’ arrival and his

impact on a tournament that perennially draws a stellar field.

“It’s a great thing to go out and see a great player play in a

great golf tournament,” tournament co-chair Hank Adler said. “I want

to meet him.”

Thirty of the top 31 players from last year’s Champions Tour

official money list will tee off Friday, which includes Hale Irwin,

the only two-time winner of the event. Irwin sits comfortably at the

top of the all-time money list with $18.6 million in career earnings.

His 38 wins also lead the Champions Tour.

The Champions Tour encourages fan interaction with players and

there will be ample opportunities for such exchanges again this year.

Fans will be able to take a picture with their favorite pro or

have him sign a program or ball after the first and second rounds.

This replaces the Q & A sessions held the previous three years.

The widely popular “dropping the ropes” behind the final group,

which allows spectators to get closer to the golfers as they hit

their shots, will again be a part of the tournament.

More room for standing spectators has been allotted to the right

of the 18th fairway leading to the green, giving more observers a

chance to see groups finishing.

The tournament has produced some memorable finishes, from Gary

McCord’s five-hole playoff victory over John Jacobs in 1999, followed

by Jose Maria Canizares’ win over Gil Morgan following nine extra

holes of sudden death in 2001.

Three of the last five tournament winners claimed their first

Champions Tour victories at the event, including Davis last year.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, many notable golfers will be

making their tournament debuts this year including Craig Stadler,

Jerry Pate, Sam Torrance and Mark James -- both former captains and

players on European Ryder Cup teams. Ed Fiori, D.A. Weibring and

Hajime Meshiai, an 11-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, will also

be making their tournament debuts. Meshiai turned 50 Friday, making

him the only player in the field to be making his Champions Tour

debut this year in Newport Beach. James finished second to Mark

McNulty, also in this year’s field, in last year’s national

qualifying tournament, while Meshiai placed third.

Longtime favorites like Zoeller, Rodriguez, Tom Kite and Bruce

Lietzke also return to add to a strong field.

“The qualifiers coming out of Q-school make the field

exceptionally deep. It should be a terrific tournament,” tournament

director Jeff Purser said.

Hoag Hospital is the lead charity and event organizer for the

seventh straight year. The event has raised more than $4.7 million

for charity in the last five years and is the first tour stop to

donate $1 million to charity four consecutive years. In-cash

donations have exceeded $5.7 million the last six years.

This year, Champions Tour players will again contribute $5,000

from the pro-am purse to help junior golf organizations.

* BRYCE ALDERTON is a sports reporter. He may be reached at (949)

574-4222 or by e-mail at bryce.alderton@latimes.com.