Fans flow in to watch their favorite golfers

Maybe it was the crystal blue skies with the slight trail of clouds. Or perhaps, it was the near perfect temperatures and cool ocean breezes.

Probably, though, it was just the anticipation of watching some of the greatest names in the game of golf at the Toshiba Classic at Newport Beach Country Club.

“They make it look easy,” said Harriet Cadilli, a Fountain Valley resident who is part of the regular gallery of fans who attend the event every year. Some of her favorite golfers are Jim Thorpe, Gary McCord and Fuzzy Zoeller.

“I think the course is in great condition and the players are wonderful to watch.”

Cadilli was sitting in the bleachers on the 10th green with her husband and friends Kerry and Barbara Cornelius who had come from St. Catharine, Ontario.

“We’re snowbirds,” said Barbara Cornelius, who comes down to California every January and stays for the Toshiba.

The crowds in the bleachers saw Craig Stadler pitch about five feet from the green.

“I smell a birdie, don’t you?” Cadilli said to her Canadian friend.

But if that wasn’t enough, Mark Johnson, who ended one shot behind the leader, holed a shot for birdie on No. 10 from about 30 yards out and the gallery crowd went crazy.

Lowell Roberts and Janet Kerber watched Ben Crenshaw hit from the fairway. The couple who have homes in both Villa Park and Newport Coast say they are avid golfers and enjoy watching the tournament.

Their favorite player is Lee Trevino.

“He’s probably one of the most popular out here,” Roberts said.

The crowds at golf tournaments are distinct from probably any crowd in sports.

No one stays still for too long. To watch the action fans need to follow a player or multiple players and they have 18 holes to cover as they do it. Sometimes, 200 to 300 people will follow one golfer from hole to hole.

And unlike most sports crowds, golf fans who are up close and personal with their favorites often have to stay absolutely silent.

Then, some just sit in the many corporate skyboxes that line several of the holes along the course.

The skyboxes tend to be perfect spots for companies to entertain clients and enjoy catered drinks and food. While the view of the course is limited to just a couple holes, the vantage point is definitely a nice one.

And fans come dressed in an array of outfits. Some are dressed in suits, some with pastel hats and shoes, and some in t-shirts and shorts. But most look like the very golfers they are here to watch — decked out in polo shirts, sweaters and khaki pants.

And just like the golfers they follow, a number of them smoke big fat cigars.

Tournament organizers expect something like 70,000 to 80,000 fans to stream into Newport Beach Country Club from Friday through Sunday.

But mostly, many in the crowd like to watch the PGA Champions Tour because maybe they see a little of themselves in the players.

“We just came to see some of the old guys play,” Roberts said.

“Because we’re old,” Kerber joked.

TONY DODERO may be reached at (714) 966-4608 or by e-mail at [email protected].