Senior Event Will Be at Newport Beach Through 2003

Orange County’s Senior PGA Tour event has reached agreements with title sponsor Toshiba Computer Systems Group and the Newport Beach Country Club to continue the golf tournament for three more years.

The Toshiba Senior Classic will be at the country club at least through 2003. This year’s event, the sixth annual, is March 3-5. Seventy-eight seniors will play for a $1.3-million purse.

The tournament is managed by Hoag Hospital Foundation, which raised more than $1.5 million for the Newport Beach hospital in the first two years it operated the event.

SEEING DOUBLE

Twins Aree and Naree Wongluekiet, 13-year-olds from Thailand, have accepted sponsor invitations to play in the Nabisco Championship, an LPGA Tour major, March 23-26 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.

The Wongluekiet twins, who have combined for 10 victories in national level junior tournaments over the last nine months, will be the youngest to play in an LPGA event since 9-year-old Beverly Klass in 1965.

NOTEWORTHY

There are spots available is the Tustin Pro-Am golf tournament Monday at Tustin Ranch. Each foursome will play with one of 36 professionals. The list of pros includes local PGA Tour players Esteban Toledo, Dennis Paulson and Paul Goydos.

This is the third year Canadian PGA Tour pro Perry Parker, who played at Foothill High and UC Irvine, has organized the tournament, which raises money for the Assistance League of Tustin. The fee is $225 per golfer. Details: (714) 544-6203.

The Glenn Deck Golf Academy at Pelican Hill is holding a putting clinic and tournament Sunday. The fee is $75 and includes the clinic, tournament and golf at Pelican Hill from 2:30 p.m. until sunset. Details: (949) 759-5170.