Celebrities will set foot on the golf course at Newport Beach Country Club before the professional golfers do, when Hoag Classic week begins with sunny weather in the forecast.
The Athletes First Celebrity Waiter Night, which benefits the Hoag Hospital Foundation, kicks things off Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at VEA Newport Beach. The event, which benefits Hoag Hospital Foundation, will feature professional athletes and celebrities who will become waiters for the night to raise money for charity.
Sunday brings the Pacific Life Celebrity Classic, which benefits Hoag. More than 70 athletes are expected to attend, including Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles, Heisman Trophy winner and USC legend Reggie Bush, and other notables. Gates open at 10 a.m. at the country club, with celebrities teeing off at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $50 each.
Two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer is the featured guest for the Hoag Classic Hall of Fame Community Breakfast, which takes place Tuesday morning at 7:30 at the Balboa Bay Resort. He is also the all-time PGA Tour Champions wins leader, with 47 victories, including the 2008 Hoag Classic, which was then known as the Toshiba Classic.
“Bernhard represents excellence, longevity, and integrity at the highest level of professional golf,” Hoag Classic executive director Scott Easton said in a statement. “His sustained success across generations, combined with his humility and sportsmanship, make him one of the most admired figures in the game. This will be a truly special opportunity for our community to hear firsthand from a global golf icon whose career continues to inspire players and fans alike.”
Crowd favorite Fred Couples hit a tee shot on the eighth hole during the first round of the Hoag Classic last year.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Jiménez returns to defend crown
Miguel Ángel Jiménez will return to Newport Beach to try to repeat as Hoag Classic champion when the tournament tees off March 27.
The colorful Spaniard won the tournament for the first time last year.
“It is a golf course I like very much and I had played well over the past few years,” Jiménez said. “So, to get the win last year was amazing. I always feel very comfortable and relaxed when I am in Newport Beach — the people are so nice to me, I eat in some great restaurants every evening, stay in a beautiful hotel and so the week is always a fun one. I am looking forward to it very much.”
Other player commitments include 2025 Charles Schwab Cup Champion Stewart Cink, as well as three-time major champion Pádraig Harrington, who won the Hoag Classic in 2024. Local fan favorite Fred Couples and Ernie Els, both two-time Hoag Classic champions, are also in the field.
Jay Haas has also won the tournament twice, in 2007 and 2016, and there are reasons he enjoys coming to Newport Beach.
“I love the area, and obviously the golf course suits me because I’ve had good success there in the past,” Haas said in an interview with the Daily Pilot. “[Winning the tournament again] would be a pretty good upset at my age [72], but you know, I’ve played well almost every time I’ve gone there. I don’t know what it is specifically, other than I love hitting off the fairways there, the kikuyu grass. The ball sits up nicely … and the course isn’t so long tee to green, yardage-wise, so I feel like I can compete with some of the longer hitters.”
Michael Allen high-fives his caddie after sinking a birdie putt during the final round of last year’s Hoag Classic.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Haas has been competing on the PGA Tour Champions for more than two decades, He said he’s feeling good after having back surgery at the end of 2023.
“I just give up too much yardage off the tee anymore,” he said. “Guys are hitting it 30, 40, 50, 60 yards by me at certain times, and then it’s tough to compete. I have to play nearly perfectly to get in the hunt, so to speak. I haven’t done it much lately, but I still enjoy the competition.”
The Chipotle Sunset Celebration & Concert returns following the second round of the tournament on March 28 at VEA Newport Beach.
Tyler Braden, the performer that night, is not only a popular country music singer but also an avid golfer.
“I love that golf can give you time to yourself and you compete with yourself,” Braden said in an email interview, adding that his last handicap was around 10.5. “It’s a time when I forget my work and my phone and just play … We haven’t been to Orange County for a show yet, but as a golfer, I’m pretty stoked that the first one gets to be at the Hoag Classic.”