Senior Tour Coming to Newport Beach

The Newport Beach Country Club will play host to Orange County’s Senior PGA Tour event, the Toshiba Senior Classic, next March.

Bob Neely, president of International Sports and Event Marketing, which will manage the tournament, said Monday that Newport Beach Country Club was chosen because of its location and support shown by community leaders.

Coto de Caza also was a candidate. Mesa Verde played host to the inaugural event last March. That tournament, managed by the Orange County Sports Assn., was considered a success, but Ric Clarson, a PGA Tour official, has said the sponsors decided to look for a better financial deal elsewhere in the county.

There also were problems with parking at Mesa Verde.

Such issues would seem to be eliminated at Newport Beach Country Club, which is adjacent to Fashion Island and its vast parking lots.

“We think we can get a lot more people involved in Orange County because of the good proximity and great location that Newport Beach offers us,” Neely said.

The Newport Beach course is par 71 and plays to about 6,600 yards on a flat layout.

The second Toshiba Senior Classic will have a $1-million purse and will be played the week of March 11. ESPN is scheduled to televise the three-day tournament.