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Briefs: Toshiba adding to field

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The 18th annual Toshiba Classic will have some local flavor, as Southern California natives Mark O’Meara, Craig Stadler, Dave Stockton and 2012 Allianz Championship winner Corey Pavin have committed to play in the event that takes place March 12-18 at Newport Beach Country Club.

They’ll be among a competitive field that also features Nick Price, who won last year’s Toshiba Classic.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have this standout group of legendary Southern California players tee it up at the Toshiba,” Jeff Purser, executive director of the Toshiba Classic, said in a release. “It’s a homecoming of sorts for these players, and it’s a lot of fun to see them in their environment.”

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O’Meara, 55, grew up in Mission Viejo and graduated from Long Beach State. A five-time winner of the AT&T National Pro-Am, O’Meara in the late stages of his PGA Tour career won the Masters and the British Open in 1998, finding himself at a career-high second on the Official World Golf Rankings.

Pavin, 52, was born in Oxnard and attended UCLA before joining the PGA Tour in 1984. Pavin played on three Ryder Cup teams: 1991, 1993 and 1995. He won the 1995 U.S. Open, then the 1996 Bank of America Colonial event, before embarking on a winless decade broken by his 2006 U.S. Bank Championship victory.

He won his first Champions Tour event this year, a sudden-death victory at the Allianz Championship, where he defeated Peter Senior with a birdie on the first playoff hole.

Stockton, 70, has long been a staple in the Southern California golf circuit. Born in San Bernardino, he attended USC before turning pro in 1964. He won the 1970 and 1976 PGA Championships and played on the 1971 and 1977 Ryder Cup teams.

Stadler, 58, took the San Diego golf scene by storm as a youth, first at La Jolla High and then as a collegiate player at USC. He won the 1973 U.S. Amateur Championship, turned pro in 1976 and won his first PGA Tour events in 1980 — the Bob Hope Desert Classic and the Greater Greensboro Open. He won the 1982 Masters Tournament, one of four events in which he was victorious that year, following that up as a member of the 1983 and 1985 Ryder Cup squads. Stadler joined the Champions Tour in 2003, amassing eight wins between 2003 and 2004.

He was the Tour’s leading money winner in 2004.

Already committed to the Toshiba Classic is John Cook, who resides in Corona del Mar.

They’ll be vying for the $262,500 winner’s check as part of the $1.75-million Toshiba Classic. The tournament days will be March 16, 17 and 18.

Ticket information for the Toshiba Classic, which raises money for Hoag Hospital Foundation among other charities, may be found at https://www.toshibaclassic.com.

— From staff reports

Jones Cup scheduled

Big Canyon Country Club will look to defend its title and win its eighth championship at the 13th annual Jones Cup, which is set for June 27 at Newport Beach Country Club.

Jones Cup XIII is tentatively scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m., at NBCC, site of the annual Toshiba Classic, a Champions Tour event.

The Jones Cup features four Newport-Mesa area private clubs: Big Canyon, Mesa Verde, Newport Beach and Santa Ana.

It features the top players from those golf clubs. Each team is made up of five golfers: usually two club pros, a men’s champ, a women’s champion and the top male senior.

Last year, Big Canyon won its seventh Jones Cup. Mesa Verde has won it four times. Newport Beach last won the Jones Cup in 2004 for its only title.

— From staff reports

Two Lions honored

Vanguard University senior Paige Halberg as well as junior teammate Esther Timmermans have been named All-Golden State Athletic Conference in women’s basketball.

Halberg, a 5-foot-10 guard, led the Lions (22-5) in assists (six per game) and was second in scoring at 11.3 points per contest. She shot 40.5% from three-point range and averaged 4.9 rebounds.

Timmermans, a 6-1 post, led the team with 12.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

— From staff reports

VU’s Raybon lauded

Vanguard University senior Chris Raybon has been named All-Golden State Athletic Conference in men’s basketball.

The 5-foot-9 guard led the team with 16.3 points per contest and was tops on the squad in assists (4.5 per game) and steals (1.5 per outing).

Raybon hade 54 three-point field goals for the Lions (15-14, 7-11 in conference to finish seventh).

— From staff reports

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