EDITORIAL:

It’s that time of year again. The Toshiba Classic is coming to town.

And that means excitement at Newport Beach Country Club and on the streets of Newport Beach.

Seventy-nine PGA Champions Tour professionals, including defending champ Bernhard Langer, will compete for the title from Friday through Sunday.

The purse: $1.7 million, with $255,500 going to the winner and a good chunk going to charity.

Some of the big names who will be trying to dethrone Langer: Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwine, Tom Kite, Gary Player, Craig Stadler, Curtis Strange, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Fuzzy Zoeller.

The lead charity and event organizer is Hoag Hospital Foundation. In its 11th year serving the foundation, the Toshiba Classic has raised more than $11.1 million for more than 20 charities.

Tickets range from $20 to $100 and can be purchased at the tournament admission gates.

Thousands will flock to Newport Beach to see the tourney and to participate in events on Monday through Thursday leading up to the competition.

Of course, they’ll also be staying in Newport Beach hotels, eating at Newport Beach restaurants and shopping at Newport Beach venues.

And that’s good for business.

Tournament organizers estimate last year’s event generated $27.7 million for the local economy.

The weeklong event features a champions breakfast, the “Shot From the Top” (that means teeing off from the top of a hotel, with the flag about 150 yards away) and other activities.

For a comprehensive multimedia report on the Toshiba Classic, including news updates, photo spreads and video interviews, go to www.dailypilot.com/toshiba _classic.