Pro golfer schools comedian

Visitors to the Toshiba Classic’s Thursday pro am are in for a treat as comedian George Lopez is scheduled to make an appearance as the guest of longtime professional Lee Trevino, tournament officials said.

Lopez and Trevino are scheduled to tee off at 7 a.m. Thursday.

Lopez, the star of the “George Lopez Show,” is friends with Trevino, who is making his return to Toshiba after a two-year layoff.

Trevino said he and Lopez are good friends and talk about twice a week.

“He and I grew up a lot alike,” Trevino said. “We both came up from extremely humble beginnings. And we both made it in very difficult careers.”

Jeff Purser, the Toshiba Classic’s tournament director, said tournament officials are delighted to have Lopez at the pro am event.

“I think it’s fun to have a guy like that around,” Purser said. “It makes it fun for the amateurs and sponsors.”

Lopez wowed the crowds at the Classic Club in Palm Desert as the host of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic tournament. His team, which featured actor Samuel Jackson, won the amateur event.

Trevino said he did some things to improve Lopez’s game.

Lopez has a good swing and a decent handicap, he said. Still, before the tournament, he went out to Palm Springs to give him some lessons.

“I changed his grip and his position over the ball,” Trevino said. “And he won the Hope by six shots.”

Trevino said Lopez had similar success at the start of the celebrity pro am at Pebble Beach last month.

“He called me on the phone and said, ‘Man you’re a genius,’” Trevino said. “But I knew he was in trouble then. He was calling me from a bar.”

The Toshiba Classic is in its 13th year at Newport Beach Country Club. In 1996 Trevino had his best outing at the tournament, tying for fourth place at the tournament. Trevino, one of the most popular players on the PGA tour, was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981.

TONY DODERO is the Daily Pilot’s director of news and online. He may be reached at tony.dodero@latimes.com or at (714) 966-4608.