Fans meet their golf heroes

For Dan Cahill, the Toshiba Classic isn’t just a great opportunity to enjoy watching some golf: It’s a way to give back to the people who helped save his life.

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, which benefits from the annual golf tournament, was “instrumental in helping me out of a bad heart attack a while back,” Cahill said.

The Santa Ana man enjoyed Wednesday afternoon catching some of the action on the senior tour as the pros and amateurs got in some practice.

“These are the guys I went to college reading about,” he said. “The highlight on the day, for me, was to watch how the pros can continue to hit the ball so far even at the age of 50.”

Cahill’s not alone in his enthusiasm. The tournament drew a record 82,500 fans last year. That was up 2,500 from 2007.

As for volunteers, there are more than 1,000 chipping in, which is up a bit from last year.

About two-thirds of those volunteers are regulars who come back each year. They do everything from take volunteer applications to tend to the driving range and even running errands for sponsors. Cahill, for instance, picked up some of the players from the airport.

“It was great interacting with them — they’re normal people like you and I,” he said.

Several fans interviewed this week agreed the players are friendly.

“The players tend to be a lot more approachable at this stage in their careers, unlike PGA players out carving their way,” Cahill said.

The pro-am is a big fan favorite because the amateurs, mostly sponsors, get to play with a pro.

Tom Cunningham and Jeff Bucher had come for the pro-am rounds all the way from Phoenix. On Wednesday, they got the opportunity to play with Bruce Lietzke. “It was a wonderful experience,” Cunningham said. “The course is in great shape, and the volunteers have made everything great.”

Bucher posted a 34, putting his team in a good position.

“I think we’re leading,” Cunningham said.

“The pros were very delightful,” Bucher added. “It was great fun getting to learn so much from them.”

The amateurs pay a fee to play with the pros and the profits go to Hoag Hospital. The amateurs also score prizes, too.

Then there are just the fans who enjoy watching the golf.

Art Sorce of San Clemente has been coming to the tournament for years.

“I’m 52 years old and I’ve grown up watching these guys,” he said. “These are my heroes. I just met Gary Player. To be able to see him, 73 years old, being in the physical fitness he’s in and playing the way he does, it’s really special.”

There’s never a shortage of volunteers either. Some even pay to volunteer. And local restaurants and businesses donate the grub.

The tournament also gets some of its volunteers from local schools. Kelsey Johnston and Akie Tomiyama from Corona Del Mar High School were really excited to help out Wednesday.

“We’re on the golf team at school,” Kelsey said. “It’s amazing to watch the pros tee off in front of us.”

“We are working till Sunday,” Akie said. “We’re hoping that we’ll get to talk to them sometime during the week. While we volunteer, we get to learn something just watching the pros.”