Hoag Classic brings back big names, crowds to Newport Beach Country Club
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The echo of the initial drives sounded from the first tee of the Newport Beach Country Club Friday morning, signaling the start of the main event of the Hoag Classic, which has returned for is 30th year.
Defending tournament titlist Miguel Angel Jiménez was among the last to head out to the course. Puffing away on a cigar as he practiced on the putting green, Jiménez posed for a picture, signed an autograph and then entered the tee box at the first hole.
What a starting group it was, as Jiménez began his tournament playing alongside a pair of World Golf Hall of Famers in Retief Goosen and Padraig Harrington.
Overcast skies that hung over the club’s course cleared into a partly cloudy afternoon, making for a pleasant reprieve from the daytime heat.
Spectators can expect to enjoy similar weather throughout the three-day PGA Tour Champions event, as the forecast calls for temperatures to top out in the mid-70s on Saturday and Sunday.
Paul Goydos took advantage of an early start time to enter the clubhouse with a bogey-free, nine-under-par round of 62, which leads the field. Zach Johnson, a two-time major champion in his first year of eligibility on the senior tour, and Brian Gay were tied for second Friday afternoon at eight under par.
The Long Beach State alumnus was asked about playing near home, and he ran out of superlatives when describing the condition of the golf course.
“I think that, first of all, the scores are good because the golf course is in embarrassingly good shape,” Goydos said. “I was in the first group, so that means the first nine holes — there’s not a blemish. … The fairways are, I mean, again, when I start using words like immaculate, it just isn’t enough of a word.”
Goydos called it an “enjoyable day,” sharing that he hadn’t had many with respect to his performance lately.
“Last year, falling off a cliff would have been an improvement over what I did at the end of the year,” Goydos added. “That was into the abyss of golf, which I had never done before, so that tends to make you contemplate things a little bit.”
Gates open at 8 a.m. on Saturday, which is the event’s Salute to Service Day. The Folds of Honor opening ceremony is at 8:45 a.m., followed by the first tee times at 9:30 a.m. on the 1st and 10th tees.
All military members and first responders receive free admission for themselves and a guest.
Students 18 and under get free admission, with a ticketed adult, for the final round on Sunday. The championship presentation will follow the conclusion of play on the 18th green.
A general admission grounds pass can be purchased for $50 for each day of the tournament at hoagclassic.com. Tickets will not be sold at the gate.
The week has already seen marquee events, including the annual Breakfast with a Champion. Bernhard Langer, the all-time leader in PGA Tour Champions tournament victories, regaled guests with memorable moments from his career during the get-together Tuesday at the Balboa Bay Resort.
