By Greg Robertson
ESPN Golf Online
Sunday, March 5

Details
When	Friday-Sunday, March 3-5
Course	Newport Beach Country Club
Where	Newport Beach, Calif.
1999 champion	Gary McCord
Purse	$1.3 million (Winner: $195,000)
Yardage/Par	6,584 yards, par 71
Tournament record	199, 14-under (George Archer, 1995)
Television	Friday: 3-5 p.m. ET (ESPN) Saturday: 5:30-7 p.m. ET (ESPN) Sunday: 6-7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The tournament

	Hole by hole
	Hole	Par	Yards
	1	4	339
	2	4	390
	3	5	549
	4	3	143
	5	4	430
	6	4	418
	7	4	368
	8	3	203
	9	4	407
	Out	35	3247
	10	4	429
	11	4	344
	12	4	373
	13	3	170
	14	4	397
	15	5	492
	16	4	437
	17	3	185
	18	5	510
	In	36	3337
	Total	71	6584

Gary McCord is never at a loss for words, but the golf commentator must come up with some new material this week as he takes on the role of defending champion for the first time in his career.

McCord played the PGA Tour off and on for 24 years without a victory. But that drought came to an end last year in Newport Beach in one of the most dramatic endings on the Senior Tour as McCord won a four-way playoff on the fifth extra hole.

McCord, John Jacobs, Al Geiberger and Allen Doyle finished regulation at 9-under 204, then headed back to the 18th tee. Geiberger and Doyle were eliminated on the first hole when Jacobs holed a 30-foot eagle chip. McCord stayed in the hunt, however, when he drained his own 18-foot eagle putt.

McCord and Jacobs continued on for four more holes before McCord ended it with a tap-in birdie on the 16th hole.

The win was not only the first of his professional career, but it made him the first player to win a Senior Tour event on a sponsor's exemption since Tony Jacklin in 1994.

McCord proved the victory wasn't a fluke later in the season when he added the Senior Tour Championship title to his resume. And he arrives back at Newport Beach on a roll, having lost a playoff last week to Tom Wargo at the LiquidGolf.com Invitational.

McCord will have plenty of competition this week, with 18 of the top-20 on the money list in the field. Only Vicente Fernandez and Tom Watson are missing from that group. The field also includes all four players who have won events this season.

At the top of the list is Bruce Fleisher, a two-time winner and the reigning player of the year. Rookies Lanny Wadkins and Tom Kite also will garner some attention.

Former Toshiba champions George Archer, Hale Irwin and Jim Colbert are also back at Newport Beach.

The Toshiba Senior Classic is the first of four Senior Tour events in California this season, ending a lengthy stretch of golf in Florida. The stay is brief, however, as the Seniors won't be back in the Golden State until October.