EDITORIAL:

In referring to the upcoming Toshiba Classic golf tournament, Daily Pilot Sports Editor Steve Virgen said the event is really our version of the Super Bowl.

And that’s really an understatement.

Monday marks the first day of what we call Toshiba week. It starts with a pro/am tournament, then the Breakfast of Champions and Shot from the Top of the Newport Beach Marriott the next day.

Two more pro/am events follow, and finally on Friday begins the first day of professional tournament play with some of the best golfers to have ever played the game.

The Champions Tour features professionals older than 50, and many are all-star names in the sport.

Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Lee Trevino, Craig Stadler, Peter Jacobsen, Gary McCord, Ben Crenshaw, Gary Player, Jay Haas, Hale Irwin, Tom Purtzer and Loren Roberts are but a few of the names that have graced the greens of the Newport Beach Country Club in pursuit of the Toshiba Classic trophy.

But the Toshiba is more than just a golf tournament.

The prime benefactor of the Toshiba Classic is Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. In its more than 10 years of existence, the Toshiba has generated in excess of $10 million in charitable donations, a large portion of which goes to Hoag Hospital.

Other local charities also benefit as well as local schools as the generous folks at Toshiba hand out scholarships and laptops to top students throughout south Orange County.

Because Toshiba week lures some 80,000 plus visitors to Newport Beach, and specifically Newport Center, local businesses get a nice boost from the tournament’s presence.

And the city of Newport Beach, already blessed with scenic ocean views, hillside vistas and high shopping, dining and retail, gets major tourism exposure through massive media coverage, which includes the ever popular Golf Channel.

We can’t make mention of the Toshiba without also noting Toshiba staff of workers and the multitude of volunteers who make it all happen.

From working the actual tournament to cleaning up the grounds, thousands work behind the scenes, all in the name of Hoag Hospital.

So let Toshiba week begin. Enjoy the festivities throughout the week, get out to the country club to catch some world class rounds of golf and just soak in the beauty of Newport Beach and the surrounding environs.

We’ll be out there joining you.