THE CROWD:Toshiba Classic charity event tees off; reception for a presidential candidate

The Toshiba Classic begins Monday at the Newport Beach Country Club.

The 13th year of the televised PGA Champions Tour event raises big money for Hoag Hospital as well as other charities. It is also a major community event supporting local businesses and bringing out the crowd for seven days of great golf and plenty of social interaction.

Big hitters and corporate sponsors will line the country club fairways with elaborate white hospitality tents, offering friends and associates the best front-row seating for a tournament that will see the return of 2006 champion Brad Bryant defending his title against a field of great competitors, including Hale Irwin, Jay Haas, Peter Jacobsen, Ben Crenshaw, Mark O’Meara and Tom Kite. Also expected to play are Craig Stadler, Fuzzy Zoeller, Tom Watson, Roger Davis and Mark Johnson, winner of the 2005 Toshiba Classic. Johnson is known as the “beer man” because he drove a beer delivery truck for 20 years before turning golf pro and making a name for himself on the circuit. He is one of the great success stories in the world of senior golf professionals.

Tickets are available at the Newport Beach Country Club gate. One-day passes range from $18 to $20; weekend or weeklong passes are available from $50 to $100. For more information, call (949) 660-1001 or go to www.toshibaclassic.com.

Newport Beach-based architect and builder Steve Dobbie and his dynamic and beautiful wife, Yvette, will host a reception and fundraiser at their home for Democratic presidential candidate and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. The Dobbies, who also reside in Santa Fe, N.M., have become close to the statesman and want to introduce him to the Orange County populace. The cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception is set for March 21. Contribution levels begin at $500. For more information, call (949) 715-1501.

Actor, writer and comedian Larry Miller is set to perform at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa on March 17 as the Assistance League of Newport-Mesa presents its spring benefit, “A Laff-ternoon with Larry Miller.”

Carolyn Matthews will chair the party, which is expected to raise $100,000 in support of Assistance League programs such as Operation School Bell, the Cheri Harris Children’s Dental Health Center and Kids on the Block, all serving the needs of children and families in the Newport-Mesa area. Miller has appeared in such films as “Pretty Woman” and is known for his character roles on “Desperate Housewives” and “Boston Legal.” Tickets to the event are $125. For more information and to make reservations, call (949) 645-6929 or go to www.alnm.org.

The Newport Beach Public Library’s 2007 speaker series presented Robert D. Kline. Kline, a former vice president at 20th Century Fox, delivered his insider perspective on the Academy Awards show. The library series recently hosted Frank Deford, author and staff writer for Sports Illustrated.