Something for the older crowd

There will be two leaderboards to watch at the Toshiba Classic, which begins today. Golfers over the age of 60 will kick off the first of six Grand Champions events in today’s first round.

Grand Champions events, now in their 17th year, are competitions within the tournaments on the PGA Champions Tour.

For example, all Grand Champions competitors will play in the regular Toshiba Classic tournament, with their scores also counting toward the Grand Champions competition.

The Grand Champions winner will be determined after the first two rounds of play.

There will be 17 participants in this week’s Grand Champions event, which boasts a purse of $175,000, with $30,000 going to the winner.

Graham Marsh won the 2005 Fed Ex Kinko’s Classic Grand Champions competition in a playoff over Bruce Summerhays.

“It’s always been a wonderful part of the tour,” said Summerhays, 62. “It adds a little bit of flavor. It’s been that way for a while. It continues to show how good 60-and-over golfers can be. We’re winning some tournaments.

“I actually think we’re getting younger.”

Marsh, 62, said he sees the benefit of the Grand Champions in leveling the playing field for the older players on the Champions Tour.

“You have to get up for it,” Marsh said. “You just want to be in a position to have a shot. There’s nothing you’d like better than to win both tournaments.”

Mike McCullough, 60, won the 2005 Grand Champions competition and the money title with earnings of $119,267.

“I think it adds a bit of the people who started tour,” McCullough said. “People come out to see that.”

PRO-AM RESULTS

Four teams tied for first place in the Thursday portion of the Toshiba Classic Pro-Am.

On Thursday, the teams of Gil Morgan, Jerry Pate, Tom Purtzer and Scott Simpson all shot 53s to tie for first place. Each team pocketed a whopping $387.50.

Morgan played with Rick Taylor, Brent Colston, Eugene McGillycuddy and Mike Pettit. Pate teamed with Shigeo Koguchi, Daniel Hsu, BC Ooi and Arif Shakeel.

Purtzer, who won the 2004 Toshiba Classic, played with Scott Maccabe, David Takata, Takayuki Ikeda and Mike Kierdorf. Simpson teamed with Curt Ensign, Mohamed El-Ezaby, Pawan Seth and Lloyd Charton.

A day earlier, Ron Streck and his group won the Wednesday Pro-Am, also with a 53.

Streck teamed with Bob Waltos, Tyler Terry, Greg Brown and Rick Powell to win the $500 prize.

YOU BREAK IT ?

One particular five-some had an interesting couple of holes in the middle of their 18 during Wednesday’s Pro-Am.

Bruce Summerhays’ group, which also included Allan Diamond, Allen Phillips, Michael Howe and Patrick Mani, started on hole 10. On the 18th hole, Phillips made a chip shot from 50 feet out that impressed Summerhays, the group’s professional.

But the fun was just beginning.

Winding around to the first hole, Mani shanked his drive left, and the ball slammed right into the rear end of a brand new Cadillac CTS that was on display, leaving a small dent.

“Wow, that sucker is discounted already,” said a nearby fan.

It remains unclear whether the fan was talking about Mani or the Cadillac.

Thursday, a sign was posted by the automobile. The part that read, “For sale at your local Cadillac dealer,” was crossed out, and at the bottom, it read, “Owned by Patrick Mani.”

THE OTHER MARCH MADNESS

Many golfers have ideas about what’s going to happen in the other tournament ? the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Peter Jacobsen said he has Connecticut beating Texas in the championship game in his bracket, but added that there is no money involved. “It’s not gambling,” he assured us.

USC alum Scott Simpson is not above giving it up rival UCLA in the tournament.

“I think they have a chance,” Simpson said. “I like North Carolina, too. I like the young teams.”

Simpson explained why he doesn’t have loyalty issues with rooting for UCLA in the tournament.

“I have no problem rooting for guys who couldn’t get into USC,” he quipped.

INFIRMARY REPORT

Dana Quigley was taken from the Newport Beach Country Club to the emergency room at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian on Thursday after complaining about chest pains in the afternoon.

Quigley, who, at 58, became the oldest player to be named the Champions Tour Player of the Year in 2005, was discharged in the early evening, according to emergency room personnel.