CARLSBAD, Calif., Mar 8, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) Staff Professional Craig Parry made a spectacular eagle on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff yesterday to win the PGA Tour's 2004 Ford Championship at Doral Resort and Spa. After finishing tied at 17-under-par 271 in regulation play, the 38-year-old Australian blasted his drive 319 yards down the middle of the first playoff hole with his new ERC(R) Fusion(R) Driver and then sealed his victory with a 176-yard approach shot that sent his HX(R) Tour Golf Ball onto the green and straight into the hole for eagle and one of the most exciting wins in PGA Tour playoff history.

"I've got this new ERC Fusion Driver from Callaway Golf and it's just amazing," an excited Parry exclaimed to an NBC-TV reporter and a live audience immediately after the winning shot went into the hole. "It gives me a lot of confidence."

Parry used the confidence he gained from the powerful combination of the new ERC Fusion Driver and HX Tour Golf Ball to successfully negotiate the winds and water hazards of the daunting Doral course known as the "Blue Monster" for its many hazards. He tied for second in driving accuracy to consistently set up the best angles for approach shots into Doral's demanding greens. He bogeyed just three of the 72 holes for the week.

"I can't say enough about how well I was driving the ball this week," Parry said. "We had tough conditions early in the tournament, with a lot of wind, and I was still able to hit my drives where I needed to hit them. The performance of the Fusion Driver and the HX ball really is incredible. Everybody will remember the shot that went into the hole, but I couldn't have hit that one without the drive that set it up."

The victory was Parry's 21st worldwide, his second on the PGA Tour, and continues a strong run for Callaway Golf driver technology across the world's professional tours. Last week, Callaway Golf Staff Professional Annika Sorenstam used the ERC Fusion Driver and HX Tour Golf Ball combination to capture her first event of the 2004 season at the ANZ Ladies Masters.

The ERC Fusion Driver features Fusion Technology, which marries the best of titanium and carbon composite for precision and power no single-material driver can match. The forged titanium cup-face design is fused with a lightweight carbon composite body -- which allows for 45 grams of discretionary weight to be placed where it does the most good. A proprietary three-part internal weighting system results in a precise placement of the center of gravity by loft, for more stability and forgiveness.

The new HX Tour Golf Ball has 3-piece construction and advanced aerodynamic performance designed to perform under windy conditions like those common to Miami's Doral. The proprietary HEX Aerodynamic cover features a pattern of pentagons and hexagons that offers improved lift at high speeds and less drag at low speeds -- and more efficient airflow for exceptional stability in winds.

In his victory, Parry used clubs from the Callaway Golf family of brands, including the ERC Fusion Driver, a Big Bertha(R) Stainless Steel 3+-Wood, Ben Hogan Apex Plus Irons 2-9 and wedges, an Odyssey(R) White Hot(R) 2-Ball Putter and the HX Tour Golf Ball.

Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha(R) Metal Woods and Irons, including ERC(R) Fusion(R) Drivers and Fairway Woods, Great Big Bertha(R) II Titanium Drivers and Fairway Woods, Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Drivers, Big Bertha Titanium Drivers and Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods, Hawk Eye(R) VFT(R) Tungsten Injected(TM) Titanium Irons, Big Bertha Stainless Steel Irons, Steelhead X-16(R) and Steelhead X-16 Pro Series Stainless Steel Irons, the Game Enjoyment System(TM) of GES(TM) Golf Clubs, Callaway Golf Forged+ Wedges and Callaway Golf Forged Wedges, and Callaway Golf Tour Blue(TM) Putters. Callaway Golf Company also makes and sells Odyssey(R) Putters, including White Hot(R), TriHot(R), DFX(R), Dual Force(R) and 2-Ball Putters. Callaway Golf Company makes and sells the Callaway Golf(R) HX(R) Tour balls, HX Blue and HX Red balls, Big Bertha(TM) Blue and Big Bertha Red balls, and the Warbird(TM) balls. Callaway Golf also owns and operates The Top-Flite Golf Company, a wholly owned subsidiary that includes the Top-Flite(R), Strata(R) and Ben Hogan(R) brands. For more information about Callaway Golf Company, please visit our websites at www.callawaygolf.com, www.topflite.com and www.odysseygolf.com.

SOURCE: Callaway Golf Company

CONTACT:
Callaway Golf Company, Carlsbad
Larry Dorman or Mike Galeski, 760-931-1771