Morning stories

The organizers of the Toshiba Classic golf tournament kicked off the popular event Tuesday with the annual community breakfast, which featured three longtime professionals and left 12 local high school students flush with scholarship money and notebook computers.

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The morning shindig at the Newport Marriott in Newport Center was attended by some 700 community members, many deeply involved in the PGA event, which is expected to raise about $10 million for Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in the span of 10 years.

“We have made the largest contribution in the history of the senior tour,” said Tournament Chairman Hank Adler, who announced that he was stepping down as chairman after this year’s event.

Several speakers tipped their hats to Adler, including Richard Afable, Hoag’s president and chief executive; Mark Simons, vice president and general manager of the Digital Products Division of Toshiba America Information Systems Inc.; Jeff Purser, longtime Toshiba tournament director; and Robin Sears, vice president of sales for Allergan, the company that sponsored the breakfast.

“On behalf of Hoag, we are very grateful for all you do for the hospital,” Afable said. But then he told the crowd the real reason for the event.

“Ultimately, we are all here because we want to improve healthcare in this community.”

Simons presented $1,000 scholarship checks and new Toshiba computers to the high school students. But before doing that he too praised Adler.

“Your leadership and dedication has been superb,” he said.

Adler, a UCLA alumnus and sports fan, traded barbs with the PGA senior tour guests at the breakfast — Craig Stadler, Scott Simpson and Don Stockton, all of whom attended school and have deep ties to USC.

Adler even allowed himself to be the butt of jokes as he donned a USC cap before introducing the golfing trio.

“Someone once asked me if there was nothing I wouldn’t do for Hoag Hospital,” he said. “I hope this is the last thing.”

In a panel discussion led by Daily Pilot Publisher Tom Johnson, Stadler, Simpson and Stockton all shared memories of their PGA victories.

Stadler invoked memories of his victory at the 1982 Masters Championship, which he nearly lost and had to win in a playoff.

“A one-shot lead going into the 18th hole isn’t so bad,” he said. “Unless you had a seven-shot lead on the 10th hole.”

Simpson, the winner of the 1987 U.S. Open, is well-known these days for being comedian Bill Murray’s partner in celebrity pro-am tournaments.

“Everything he does is just so quick,” Simpson said after doing an impression of Murray’s “Caddyshack” character, Carl Spackler. “We have so much fun.”

Stockton told a story about how he beat Arnold Palmer in the 1970 PGA Championship and how his best memory in golf was being the captain of the Ryder Cup. “Especially being the winning captain,” he said.

All three men had great praise for the Newport Beach Country Club, site of the Toshiba Classic, calling it one of the premiere events on the tour.

Scholarship and notebook computer winners

Caitlin Adams Corona del Mar High School

Javier Aranda Estancia High School

Erika Myszynski Newport Harbor High School

Hang Le Costa Mesa High School

Christine Borrmann Northwood High School

Sameer Gadhia Irvine High School

Kevin Guzik Laguna Hills High School

Christine Kang University High School

Alexander Lee Trabuco Hills High School

Rokhsan Shafiei Woodbridge High School

Enrique Torreblanca El Toro High School

Jared Wigdor Mission Viejo High School

TODAY AT TOSHIBA — first day of competition; 7 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. shotgun starts; amateur foursomes are paired with a PGA Champions Tour player on each day of this two-day event.