Newport Beach Country Club Not Out of Picture for Senior Tour Event

After an acrimonious split with Newport Beach Country Club, it appears as if the Toshiba Senior Classic might return there next year after all.

Bob Neely, president of the management company that runs the Senior PGA Tour event, said Thursday that he expects to announce a site for the tournament this week. He said he is in discussions with five Orange County courses, one of which is Newport Beach Country Club.

“It’s the old story. Reasonable people can sit down in a room and work things out,” Neely said. “I’ve always said that I thought Newport is a great venue for the event. I would very much like to have it there. It’s never really left our primary position for the event.”

Differences remain, however. Jerry Anderson, general manager at Newport Beach Country Club, said last week that Neely’s company, International Sports & Event Marketing, still hasn’t fulfilled its contract for the 1997 event to the satisfaction of the country club.

The most pressing issue is a disputed food and beverage bill. ISM and the country club are $25,000 apart. But Anderson said there are other concerns.

In 1996, ISM donated a total of $45,000 to three designated charities. It hasn’t announced a total this year. Newport Beach is also the site of the Taco Bell Newport Classic Pro-Am, which every January raises more than $200,000 for Hoag Hospital.

“We have to be very careful in how this affects our image,” Anderson said. “We’ve had a lot of questions from our members about how much money is going to charity.”

Anderson, however, left the door open for an agreement. “It’s not a moneymaker for the club, but it does do things for us,” he said. “It enhances our image and it’s something good for Newport Beach. It brings in a lot of money to the community and we want to be a part of that.

“I hope things happen. I guess we are going to have to wait a little longer to see what happens.”

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The PGA Tour would like to see the $1-million tournament return to Newport Beach, tour official Tim Crosby said.

“Newport is by far the best place in that community to play the golf tournament,” Crosby said. “There’s not a better venue in terms of accessibility, operational logistics, room for hospitality, ease of spectators to get around, and the golf course is a good test. The players like it.

“Clearly, there’s not a better place for the tournament to thrive and develop. If it’s going to grow and provide the charitable impact that everyone wants, it’s got to happen there.”

Crosby said ISM has asked his office to look at some of the other courses to judge their suitability, but that it hasn’t yet. He declined to name any other courses under consideration. The tournament was held at Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa in 1995, before moving to Newport Beach the last two years.

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Open qualifying: Seven players--five professionals and two amateurs--from Orange County will try to play their way into the U.S. Open today at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana.

The Orange County professionals are Thomas Brennan of Mission Viejo, John Burkle of Aliso Viejo and Brett Brummett, Brad Greer and Kent Wiese of Huntington Beach. The amateurs are Ben Garner of Lake Forest and Terry Noe of Fullerton.

Five players from a field of 69 will make it after two rounds today. The U.S. Open is June 12-15 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

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Kellee Booth led Arizona State to the NCAA Division I women’s golf championship last month. Booth, a junior from Coto de Caza, shot two-over 290, finishing fifth as an individual, five shots behind winner Heather Bowie of Texas. The Sun Devils beat second-place San Jose State by two strokes on Ohio State’s scarlet course to win their fourth title in five years. Booth also played on Arizona State’s 1995 national champion team.

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Chris Tidland, a former Southern Section individual champion from Valencia High, earned his 1997 Canadian Tour card by shooting three-under-par 284 last month in British Columbia.

Tidland, who was an All-American at Oklahoma State, played on the Nike Tour last year, his first as a professional, winning only $20,211 in 22 events.

Mike Fergin of Trabuco Canyon also qualified for the Canadian Tour.

Notes

Last minute golf: Coto de Caza and Tustin Rancho are hosting charity tournaments today. The Angels Care Golf Classic at Tustin Ranch benefits many local charities and each foursome will be accompanied by an Angel player or coach. For more information: call (714) 940-2004. The Goodwill Golf Classic at Coto de Caza benefits Goodwill’s rehabilitation, vocational training and job placement programs. Former major league baseball players, including Doug DeCinces, Dave Kingman, Ken Landreaux and Fred Lynn are scheduled to play. For more information: (714) 547-6301. . . . The Sandi Coffer Summer Classic is June 9 at Newport Beach Country Club. Proceeds benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. For information: (714) 752-1680. . . . The Rancho Alamitos High invitational golf tournament is June 17 at Cypress Golf Club. The fee is $100 per person for four-person scramble format. For more information: Dan Rankin (714) 970-2480 or 663-6473. . . . Nicholas Bollini of Yorba Linda and Candie Kung of Fountain Valley won the Anaheim City Junior Championship last month. Bollini, 14, and the overall boys’ winner, birdied the last two holes to shoot four-under-par 139 on the Anaheim Hills and Dad Miller courses. He beat Brian Sinay of Irvine and Charlie Smith of Santa Clarita by one stroke. Kung, 15, and the overall girls’ winner, shot three-over 146 to win by two strokes over Lisa Chen of Cerritos and Hana Kim of Los Angeles.

The Orange County Golf Notebook runs weekly during the summer. Suggestions are welcome. Call (714) 966-5904, fax 966-5663 or e-mail Martin.B[email protected] or [email protected]

Times staff writer John Weyler contributed to this story.