Toshiba Classic

Ninth Consecutive Seven-Figure Check Presented to Charity

Contacts:
Toby Zwikel/Brian Robin/Damian Secore
818/462-5599/5610/5614

Jessica Roswell
949/660-1001
jroswell@toshibaclassic.com

Newport Beach, CA, March 10, 2008 - By Toshiba Classic playoff standards, seven holes barely raises an eyebrow. But Bernhard Langer and Jay Haas raised not only eyebrows with their seven-hole playoff Sunday afternoon, but raised the bar on the already high level of golf traditionally displayed at Newport Beach Country Club..

On a day where 2007 Toshiba Classic champion Haas overcame a four-shot deficit to nearly became the first player to defend his title, Langer became the latest Toshiba Classic champion when he birdied the seventh playoff hole, then watched Haas miss his three-foot birdie try that would have sent both players to their 26th holes of the day.

The seven-hole playoff was the fifth longest playoff in Champions Tour history, but only the second-longest in Toshiba Classic history. Both the 1997 (won by Bob Murphy) and the 2001 (won by Jose Maria Canizares) events went nine extra holes.

"I'm pretty tired right now. I'm just glad there's something called adrenaline, because that's what kept me going," said Langer, who finished Sunday with a 2-under-par 69 that brought him into extra holes at 14-under-par 199.

The adrenaline combined with Langer's penchant for pulling off clutch shots all week earned the two-time Masters champion and 2004 European Ryder Cup captain a tournament-record $255,000, a Toshiba laptop computer and his second Champions Tour victory in nine starts.

Just to get there, Langer had to not only endure Haas' second consecutive closing-round 65 - which erased Langer's four-shot lead - but he had to sink a clutch 12-foot putt on the last hole of regulation to force the playoff. That came after Haas birdied 18 two groups in front of Langer, after Langer sent his approach into the par-5 bounding over the green and after Langer's poor chip left him that 12-foot birdie putt.

Entering the playoff, both players birdied 18, parred 16 and parred the difficult par-3 17th. Returning to No. 18, both players canceled good drives with approach shots that found bunkers: Langer to the left, Haas in an awkward, downhill lie to the right. But both players managed to get up-and-down for pars.

Returning to No. 16, Langer drained a 28-foot birdie putt, only to see Haas' 14-footer find the bottom of the same cup moments later. The two then parred 17 - with Langer getting up-and-down from the right bunker for the second consecutive time - to send matters back to 18 for the fourth time.

This time, Haas' approach bounded across and over the green. His chip for eagle hit the pin and nearly went into the hole, settling three feet away. Langer, meanwhile, left his eagle putt four inches left of the cup. He tapped in, then watched in near amazement as Haas missed his putt left.

"You know, that would have just been icing on the cake," Haas said about repeating as champion. "Just the fact that I had a chance to win and I didn't, that was the most disappointing thing. Repeating that would have been great. It just would have been nice to get another win."

Ben Crenshaw (66-69-67/11-under 202) finished third for the second consecutive year, tying Scott Simpson (69-68-65) and 1999 champion (in a five-hole playoff) Gary McCord (68-67-67).

Those were some of the golfing highlights to a week in which the Toshiba Classic - recognized as the standard for charitable contributions on the Champions Tour - raised $1 million for charity. That marked the ninth consecutive year that the Toshiba Classic raised at least $1 million in charitable contributions.

Sunday's attendance of 27,500 pushed the attendance at the 2008 Toshiba Classic to 82,500, an increase of 2,500 from 2007.

About the Toshiba Classic

Hoag Hospital Foundation produces the annual Toshiba Classic. During the last ten years, the Toshiba Classic has raised more than $10 million for charity, the most on the Champions Tour. In the PGA Champions Tour's 29-year history, only nine out of more than 600 tournaments have raised $1 million in net proceeds from an event in a single year. For more information, please call 949/660-1001 or visit www.toshibaclassic.com.

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