Golf: NBCC holding strong

This column is a mixed bag of sorts.

We’ll start with the ownership change at both the Balboa Bay Club & Resort and Newport Beach Country Club. The big news that Delaware-based Seven-One Capital-Business Inc. is buying both properties from International Bay Clubs Inc., means relatively no news in the way of any noticeable changes on the golfing front.

NBCC General Manager Perry Dickey said business will remain as usual at the club that hosts the annual Toshiba Classic every March, which leads to Jeff Purser, tournament director for the Champions Tour event.

In a sense his views are similar to Dickey’s.

In an email, Purser used the words “wonderful” and “excited” when describing his relationship with IBC and Seven-One, headed by Chinese businessman Winston Chung. The Pilot has reported that Chung plans to keep management in place.

Purser said he and his team will cooperate with NBCC during this transition time and he looks forward to the future together.

Can you believe it’s only seven months until next year’s Toshiba, the 18th rendition scheduled March 12 through 18, 2012?

NBCC has hosted the Toshiba Classic for 16 of its 17 years. Nick Price held on for a one-shot victory over Mark Wiebe in this year’s tournament.

Lehua Wise and Mike Fergin, both assistant pros at Mesa Verde Country Club, teamed to tie for first place in the Southern California PGA Metro chapter’s Meeting/Education/Triple Play tournament Aug. 1 at Valencia Country Club. Wise and Fergin combined for an 11-under-par 61 to equal Russ Onizuka and Scott Heyn, who represented Black Gold Golf Course in Yorba Linda.

Wise finished tied for 16th at the Callaway Golf SCPGA Assistant Championship. She shot 74-72–146 at The Country Club at Soboba Springs on July 25.

It was good to see golfers with area ties in the Costa Mesa City Championship field. Big Canyon Country Club member Will Tipton (70-73–143) and former Newport Harbor High player Travis Russell (69-74–143) tied for seventh while another former Sailor, Marcus Mercado-Kiel, tied for 11th with rounds of 67-78–145.

Former Orange Coast College golfers Kord Tagley (70-76–146) and Joe Doody (72-74–146) tied for 16th at Costa Mesa.

The U.S. Amateur begins Monday at Erin Hills in Wisconsin and Newport Beach’s Stewart Hagestad is in the field.

As of Wednesday, tee times were not posted on the tournament website, https://www.usamateur.org. You can follow Hagestad’s trek there. Players compete in two rounds of stroke play before moving to match play later next week.