Round 3 - Vijay Singh wins Toshiba Classic

March 11, 2018

Vijay Singh got up-and-down for birdie with a putter from off the green on the final hole for a one-shot victory in the Toshiba Classic on Sunday.

The 55-year-old Hall of Famer edged Tommy Tolles, Tom Pernice Jr. and Scott McCarron to win for the first time as an individual on the PGA Tour Champions. He teamed with Carlos Franco to win last year's Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf.

Singh has played a limited schedule on the 50-and-over tour while continuing to compete on the PGA Tour, where he has 34 career victories.

''I just put a lot of pressure on myself when I first came out here. Every time I teed up, you know, I was - I thought I had to win. The more I did that, the more I didn't win, the harder it got,'' Singh said. ''This week was a little different. Last week I was sick with cold and flu, and this week kind of started out that way, so my expectation wasn't very high. I just came out here, I said, 'I'm just going to go out and play.'''

The Fijian closed with a 5-under 66 for a three-day total of 11-under 202 at Newport Beach Country Club.

''I always knew I was going to win out here, it was just a matter of time,'' Singh said. ''I was going to play a lot more this year anyway, so this is a good start and hopefully I'm going to win a few more.''

He got his stiffest challenge from Tolles, who was bogey-free before he three-putted the tough par-3 17th. Singh also bogeyed 17 to fall even with Tolles, whose chip from short of the green on the par-5 18th rolled 6 feet past. Tolles missed the birdie putt, opening the door for Singh playing behind him.

Tolles, winless in 233 career PGA Tour starts, earned full status on the PGA Tour Champions at Q School last fall. His best previous finish was a tie for 9th last week.

''Obviously I never won on the PGA Tour, so this is kind of like - you've heard that adage about same movie, same script, same ending? I have a little bit of that feeling, which is not a good feeling to have,'' said Tolles, who closed with a 65.

''So I don't know how many times you have to get in the competition or whatever before you can actually pull it out. Time's limited, you've got to make the most of it. You know, I don't know what to do. Right now I'm just really disappointed because things could have been so much easier, just two little 6-footers on 17 and 18 there and my whole world changes. But I guess that's golf.''

Pernice and McCarron both needed eagle on 18 to match Singh and closed with birdies.

Round 2 - Pernice holds on to lead in spite of weather

March 10, 2018

Tom Pernice Jr. remained patient in cool, rainy and breezy conditions on Saturday and held onto a one-shot lead after two rounds of the Toshiba Classic.

Pernice shot a 1-under 70 with a sloppy bogey on the par-5 18th as the leaderboard began to bunch up at Newport Beach Country Club. Joe Durant, Scott McCarron and Vijay Singh were among the players who challenged Pernice throughout the afternoon, and 13 players were within four shots of the lead heading into the final round.

Pernice's pitching wedge from 108 yards on 18 caught a gust of wind and spun back into a bunker.

''Just not a very good finish, unfortunately,'' Pernice said. ''I played pretty solid most of the day, just didn't get the ball close to the hole very often.''

The 58-year-old Pernice, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions, was at 8-under 134. Durant, a winner three weeks ago at the Chubb Classic, shot 66 and was one shot back alongside McCarron (68), who missed a par putt from about 3 feet on the par-4 14th as part of an up-and-down back nine.

''I'm hitting the ball well and I hit the ball well the last two days,'' McCarron said. ''Again, just haven't been really making a lot of putts, but neither is anybody else.''

McCarron was with Pernice before the bogey on 14. He made two straight birdies and was one shot behind when he pulled his tee shot on the par-3 17th, leading to bogey.

''The wind's coming in hard out of the right and I was trying to hit a little cut up there, and I took a lot of club,'' McCarron said. ''I didn't make a good turn and when I do that, I pull it.''

Singh shot 68 and joined Scott Verplank (69) at 6 under.

''Nothing spectacular or nothing disastrous, you know,'' Singh said. ''Putting nicely, so that's a big thing.''

Round 1 - Tom Pernice Jr. leading Toshiba Classic

March 09, 2018

Tom Pernice Jr. shot a bogey-free 7-under 64 on Friday for a three-shot lead in the Toshiba Classic.

The 58-year-old Pernice, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions, has never played particularly well at Newport Beach Country Club, even though it's a home game of sorts for the Southern California resident. The event was off the schedule last year while the clubhouse was renovated.

''I think the course is in the best condition it's been in in quite some time. I thought the condition of the golf course was pretty inferior the last two or three times we played it,'' Pernice said. ''They did hire a new superintendent here, and obviously he's doing a heck of a job because it's remarkably better than it had been in the past.''

Seven players were three shots back: Scott Parel, Joey Sindelar, Scott Verplank, David Frost, Scott McCarron, Tommy Tolles and Fran Quinn.

Bernhard Langer, winless in four starts this year after he won seven times in 2017, was six strokes back after a 70.

Pernice started on the back nine and made four birdies in a six-hole stretch to turn in 4 under. He added birdies at Nos. 1, 3 and 6 before finishing with two par saves.

''Really wasn't in any danger of making any bogeys until really 8 and 9. I hit a beautiful bunker shot on 8 and holed about a 6-footer,'' Pernice said. ''And then just over the back of the green there at No. 9, had a tough little chip and chipped it to about 5 feet and made it.''

The two-time PGA Tour winner said another Californian, Phil Mickelson, gave him a mental boost. Mickelson ended a victory drought of nearly 5 years last week at the WGC-Mexico Championship.

''I've been spending a lot of time talking to Phil, and Phil really has been encouraging me,'' Pernice said. ''We played a lot in the winter. He kind of inspired me and he said, 'Just be aggressive and have fun, you'll get one.'''