Popular trio in Classic

There's sure to be several big-time names at the 18th Toshiba Classic March 12-18 at Newport Beach Country Club. Three of those golfers have already committed.

Nick Price, the Toshiba Classic defending champion, along with Hall of Famer Tom Watson and local favorite John Cook have made early confirmations to compete in the Champions Tour event.

Price, 54, a Hall of Famer, will try to become the first back-to-back winner at the Toshiba Classic. He'll be hard-pressed to match last year's performance. He led wire to wire, finishing at 17-under-par 196 that included a Champions Tour-record 11-under 60 during the opening round.

Watson, 62, always attracts a large gallery on the Champions Tour. The six-time PGA Tour Player of the Year can still play at a high level. He has 13 titles on the Champions Tour. He had 39 PGA Tour titles.

Cook, 54, a Corona del Mar resident, has eight Champions Tour titles. Last year he finished fifth on the Charles Schwab Cup points standings (the system to determine the top players on the Champions Tour) with three wins and eight Top-10 finishes.

The trio will be going after the $262,500 winner's check.

Tickets for the Toshiba Classic are now on sale and can be purchased at http://www.toshibaclassic.com, or call (949) 660-1001 to secure corporate packages.

Once again, the tournament's lead charity will be the Hoag Hospital Foundation and will benefit the Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag for the second straight year.

steve.virgen@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveVirgen