In the past, the winner of the Toshiba Classic was usually a golfer who relied on precision over power. The course was one of the shorter layouts on the Champions Tour, but the mature eucalyptus and pine trees that lined the fairways were the punishment for long hitters who failed to find the short grass.
Hale Irwin, Jay Haas, Tom Purtzer, and Nick Price were all previous winners of this event at the Newport Country Club in Newport Beach, California, and none of them are known as bombers off the tee. The lone exception was two-time winner and local resident Fred Couples.
But now, after recent removal of some of the famed Eucalyptus trees from the course, the strategy required to win the Toshiba Classic has changed. Accuracy will still be paramount, but those who can drive the ball far will no longer have that advantage removed from their game. With the Southern California golf course close to the Pacific Ocean, the damp, cool air will clip some of the distances off the tee.
New Favorites in the Air
Langer, who won the tournament in 2008 and ranks 16th on tour for driving distance, told the Daily Pilot that the short hitters are at a disadvantage.
“It’s a lot more open, so I feel it favors the long hitters a lot more now,” Langer said. “All of the bunkering is about 260-265 (yards away), and some of the trees are stopping around that mark. If you can carry it 270 in the air, you have a huge advantage now that you didn’t have before.”
Somewhat amazingly, Jerry Kelly is the favorite to win this week at 5/1. He is tied for 35th in driving distance average, but did finish second last week at the Cologuard Classic and has a victory in January at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship.
Couples was a 7/1 pick and definitely an attractive selection with his prior record here and length off the tee. He withdrew on Wednesday, however, citing back problems.
Langer is 7/1. The 60-year-old has a second-place finish this year, but in his last two events he tied for 36th and for 54th. He told the Daily Pilot he’s finding it tougher to win on this tour reserved for players 50 and older.
“I’m playing against the same guys I played with all my life,” Langer said. “The last 10 years the competition is getting fiercer and harder as time goes on.”
Long Hitter Longshots
John Daly is obviously a golfer who should benefit from the renovation. He is 60/1 and coming off an awful performance last week where he finished tied for 71st. He does have two top 10 finishes this year and when he played here in 2016 he finished tied for 19th.
Kevin Sutherland is another long driver that could be considered. He is 16/1 and has finished no worse than 24th in four 2018 events. He tied for fifth at the 2016 Toshiba Classic.
Scott McCarron would not be a surprise if he captured this event. He is sixth in driving distance and at 25/1 would be a nice pay off. He has played here twice and has two top 10 finishes.