Sports Report: Golf, Rodeo, Theater, Etc.

Count the Oct. 5-9 run of the Toshiba Classic at the Newport Beach Country Club as another aspect of Fountain Valley-based Kingston Technology’s role as a good sport and able marketer. This year’s event—a mainstay on the PGA Senior Tour—will be the Toshiba Classic Presented by Kingston Technology. It’s a renewal of sorts for Kingston, which has joined Toshiba on the marquee several times in the past, although not in the past decade or so. No word on how much Kingston paid for the billing, but the consumer electronics maker said it’s proud to be on the marquee with Toshiba, “one of our closest industry partners and a great friend” … Kingston goes big for e-sports, too. It was an early adapter on sponsoring teams of gamers, as well as tournaments—a pioneering role that has begun to look prescient … The company also has moved quickly to welcome the newest crop of gamers—devotees of the Pokémon Go craze (see related item in Technology column, page 71) … One more Kingston tie to sports: Donald Sun, scion of company co-founder David Sun, is commissioner of the Association of Volleyball Professionals. The younger Sun bought the AVP in 2012 for $2 million and appears to have made strides toward getting it back in shape as a competitive tour … The O’Neill-Avery-Moiso clan’s Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo, set for August 27-28, is always worth the price of admission, with top-hand talent competing for $250,000 in prize money, not to mention the more than $1.6 million the event has raised pass-the-hat cowboy style for local charities over the years. Visit rmvrodeo.com for more information on the great show and good causes … Proud Papa: Riordan Lewis & Haden General Partner Murray Rudin, whose daughter Alyssa is a recent University High School grad and National Merit Scholar who’s bound for the University of Chicago, where she plans to play on the tennis squad … Proud Papa II: Dr. Stephen Mikulak, whose son Sam is a former Corona del Mar High School and University of Michigan gymnast who fell short of expectations at the Olympic Games in Rio but should get a gold medal for how he handled the disappointment. The Detroit Free Press reports that he hopes to continue at the sport’s highest level and cap his career at the 2024 Olympics, which could be in Los Angeles. Is his plan feasible? “I’m going to say yes,” Mikulak told the daily. “Because I’m an optimist” … The games played well at Cortina’s on Batavia in Orange, where the cheese steaks and cold cuts are as good as gold, and the kitchen staff knows a marketing opportunity when it sees one—even if it streaks by like Usain Bolt on his way to the finish line … Wylie and Bette Aitken are good sports when it comes to the arts. The first social event they hosted at their beachfront place on the Balboa Peninsula was the annual Patron Party for the South Coast Rep five years ago, and they graciously did the same last week. The party served as the kickoff for SCR’s 2016 Gala, slated for Sept. 10 at the Westin South Coast Plaza, where attendees can expect to take a turn on the social media stage.