Toshiba Senior Classic Golf: Toshiba spice girls

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - As if this year’s Toshiba Senior Classic wasn’t

spiced up enough, models from a local talent company are selling lottery

tickets this weekend at Newport Beach Country Club to help raise money

for the event’s managing charity, Hoag Hospital.

Each ticket is $100 and fans can win several prizes, including golf

vacations and a Wave Runner, which is featured high above the putting

green area on a scaffolding.

The models, who wear waitress aprons, are part of Candee Horn’s talent

outfit called Candace Hom Images Company. Horn said the drawing today is

at 5:45 p.m. -- or shortly after the final round.

For the second day in a row Saturday, Toshiba officials cashed in on

some of the Senior PGA Tour’s new initiatives by hosting a fan-involved

Question & Answer session with Fuzzy Zoeller and Chi Chi Rodriguez after

the second round.

An estimated crowd of 300 listened and participated Saturday with

Zoeller and Rodriguez, who were great with the audience.

Also, tournament officials dropped the ropes on 18 so fans could follow the leaders (Hale Irwin and Allen Doyle) up the fairway.

Doyle shot 3-under 68 in the second round, his 10th straight round

under 70 in the tournament in as many starts, but was disappointed with

his finish.

Doyle had a one-shot lead over Irwin heading to the par-5 15, the

easiest hole on the golf course. But Doyle missed his birdie chance and

Irwin didn’t. Irwin also birdied 16 to take the lead, then Doyle bogeyed

17 to fall two shots behind.

“Hale played a great round, but I have to be a shade unhappy after

what happened going into 15,” said Doyle, who hopes to post a mid-60s

score today in the final round to put pressure on Irwin.

It is far from an exact science, but Toshiba Classic tournament

director Jeff Purser has provided an educated-guess crowd estimate for

the event each day, with Friday’s attendance coming in between 17,000 and

18,000 -- the same figure for the Sunday round last year when the weather

was poor.

Saturday’s crowd as estimated at 24,000, bigger than last year’s

second round (20,000 to 21,000).

Purser said he does not hold up a thumb and take one big look at the

crowd, then guess at an attendance figure.

“I look at all the gate receipts, the exchanged coupons and badges

counted and count the people we had on the shuttle buses, then look at

cash receipts on food sales, make sure everything gels, then evaluate

everything and arrive at a number,” he once said. “I won’t (exaggerate).”