CARLSBAD, Calif., Jun 24, 2002 (BW SportsWire) -- Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) Staff Professional Tohru Taniguchi closed out a wire-to-wire victory at the Tamanoi Yomiuri Open yesterday for his second Japan Golf Tour win of the year. Taniguchi, who won by two strokes, is now the tour's leading money winner in 2002. Callaway Golf is also the brand leader on the tour this year -- leading all other manufacturers in driver, irons, putter and golf ball wins on the Japan Golf Tour.

Taniguchi never trailed at the Tamanoi Yomiuri Open after shooting a bogey-free 65 in the first round. His bogey-free final-round 69 gave him a total of 18-under-par 270. Taniguchi used the CTU 30(TM) Red golf ball and 12 Callaway Golf(R) clubs at Yomiuri Country Club, including a Big Bertha(R) Hawk Eye(R) VFT(R) Pro Series Titanium Driver, Steelhead(TM) X-14(R) Pro Series Irons and an Odyssey(R) White Hot(R) 5 Putter. Taniguchi also won the season-opening Token Corporation Cup and has five top-10 finishes in six starts on the Japan Golf Tour this year. He leads the tour in money won, scoring average, birdie average and putting average, and he is tied for the lead in greens hit in regulation. Taniguchi has also played six events on the PGA Tour this season, where he stands in 11th place in non-member earnings -- including a fifth-place finish at the Nissan Open.

Taniguchi's latest victory gives the Odyssey Golf brand an amazing nine putter wins out of the 10 events played on the Japan Golf Tour this year. Odyssey Golf is the leader in putter wins across the world's six major professional tours combined with 37 to date -- including an Odyssey Dual Force(R) 330 Mallet Putter victory at the Great North Open yesterday -- compared to 27 for the nearest competitor. Callaway Golf's Japan Golf Tour leading victory totals are: driver (5), irons (5) and golf ball (6).

Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha(R) Metal Woods and Irons, including Big Bertha C4(TM) Compression Cured Carbon Composite Drivers, Big Bertha ERC(R) II Forged Titanium Drivers, Big Bertha ERC Forged Titanium Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Hawk Eye(R) VFT(R) and Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Drivers and Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Steelhead(TM) III Stainless Steel Drivers and Fairway Woods, Hawk Eye VFT Tungsten Injected(TM) Titanium Irons, Big Bertha Stainless Steel Irons, Steelhead X-14(R) and Steelhead X-14 Pro Series Stainless Steel Irons. Callaway Golf Company also makes and sells Odyssey(R) Putters, including White Hot(R), TriHot(TM), and Dual Force(R) Putters. Callaway Golf Company makes and sells the Callaway Golf(R) HX(TM) Blue and HX Red balls, Rule 35(R) Firmfeel(TM) and Softfeel(TM) balls, the CTU 30(TM) Blue and CTU 30 Red balls, the HX 2-Piece Blue and HX 2-Piece Red balls, and the CB1(TM) Blue and CB1 Red balls. For more information about Callaway Golf Company, please visit our Web sites at www.callawaygolf.com and www.odysseygolf.com.

 

 

CONTACT:          Callaway Golf Company
                  Larry Dorman / Mike Galeski / Millie Speirs
                  760/931-1771

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