Pernice Jr. sheds flu bug for birdie bug at Toshiba Classic

Tom Pernice Jr. said he had a fever of 104.8 degrees earlier this week.

Pernice said he caught a bug last Saturday while he was playing at the PGA TOUR Champions event in Arizona, the Tucson Cologuard Classic. This was not exactly ideal for Pernice heading into this weekend’s Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach, though he felt well enough to play in the pro-am on Thursday.

A day later, Pernice certainly showed no ill effects in terms of his play. His score was considerably lower than his temperature.

The Murrieta resident fired a bogey-free round of seven-under-par 64 on Friday to take the lead after the first round of the three-day Toshiba Classic at Newport Beach Country Club.

Pernice sits three strokes ahead of seven players who are tied for second place. The players at four-under include 2013 Toshiba champion David Frost, along with Joey Sindelar, Scott Parel, Scott Verplank, Tommy Tolles, Scott McCarron and Fran Quinn. Tolles got to four-under with an eagle on No. 18, the only one of the day on the final hole.

Rain is in the forecast for Saturday, but with no lightning predicted, tee times are scheduled to be on time beginning at 10:35 a.m. Pernice, whose best finish in six previous Toshiba Classic events was tying for eighth in 2011, is the one to catch. His round of 64 was his best score in 19 rounds at Newport Beach Country Club.

Pernice, who has five previous PGA TOUR Champions victories, said he thinks the course is in a better overall condition than it has been for previous tournaments. The 58-year-old made birdie on all three of the par-five holes — Nos. 3, 8 and 15.

On No. 8, he hit a bunker shot to within six feet of the hole before sinking the birdie putt.

“I think you need to be able to convert when you do hit some good shots,” Pernice said. “The greens here are tricky. They’re small and they have a lot of slope on them. I was fortunate enough to have myself in position a few times. I played the par-fives well, either got it up around the greens or wedged it close or two-putted a couple. So if you take advantage of those, that makes it a little bit easier.”

Parel and Sindelar were part of the first group to tee off on No. 10 at 10:30 a.m., and ended up tied for second. Parel, from Augusta, Ga., is looking for his first PGA Tour Champions win. He completed Q-School in 2016. On Friday, he rebounded from a double-bogey score of six on No. 10.

Sindelar, by contrast, had a quick start. He birdied four of his first five holes, and also earned birdies on Nos. 1-3. Sindelar, a tour veteran, is also looking for his first Champions victory.

“I had an odd day,” he said. “I made a lot of putts from eight feet to 15, and I missed a lot of putts from seven feet to four feet. It was just a funny day.”

Pernice, Parel and Sindelar are all scheduled to begin at No. 1 on Saturday at 12:35 p.m.

One fan-favorite group Friday included defending champion Jay Haas, who won the tournament in 2007 and 2016, as well as 2008 champion Bernhard Langer. Both have work to do. Langer shot one-under-par and is tied for 24th, while Haas’ round of two-over-par has him tied for 55th.

Newport Beach resident Tom Jenkins shot a three-over-par 74, and is tied for 63rd place. He’s one stroke behind eight-time major champion Tom Watson, who like Haas shot a 73 on Friday.

The golfers may not altogether mind the rain on Saturday, as it should bring softer greens.

“These greens are difficult,” Sindelar said. “Always the story here is the difficulty of the greens … they’re very fast and they’re sometimes a little bit bumpy. They’re in beautiful condition, but it’s hard.”

Toshiba Classic to be renamed Hoag Classic in 2019

The Toshiba Classic, by that name, will no longer exist after 2018. Hoag is taking on title sponsorship of the tournament next year and the tournament will be renamed the Hoag Classic.

Hoag Charity Sports executive director Jeff Purser announced the change at a VIP reception Friday night at Newport Beach Country Club.

Toshiba had been the title sponsor of the tournament since 1995, when it began as the Toshiba Senior Classic.

“Hoag Hospital has been a longtime supporter of the PGA TOUR Champions tournament in Orange County, and I’m pleased that our partnership will continue to grow as they become the new title sponsor of the Hoag Classic beginning in 2019,” PGA TOUR Champions President Greg McLaughlin said in a release. “Newport Beach Country Club has been a tremendous host for the last two decades, and with Hoag Hospital’s support, we look forward to furthering this event’s charitable impact in the community.”

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo