Callaway Golf Staff Professionals Sorenstam and Fleisher Use New Great Big Bertha II Titanium Driver in Record-Breaking Victories
CARLSBAD, Calif., Sep 16, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) Staff Professionals Annika Sorenstam and Bruce Fleisher each won tournaments yesterday using the Company's new Great Big Bertha(R) II Titanium Driver -- which was just officially launched today in the United States and Europe. This remarkable new driver has now been used to win four events across the major U.S. tours in less than a month, including three over the last two weeks. Both Sorenstam and Fleisher had record-setting performances in their victories.
Sorenstam won for the second consecutive week using a Great Big Bertha II Pro Series Titanium Driver. Her one-stroke victory yesterday at the Safeway Classic helped her break her own record for money won in a single LPGA Tour season at $2,211,991. She also broke the course record with a 62 in the second round at Columbia Edgewater Country Club. The victory was Sorenstam's eighth of the season on the LPGA Tour and her 10th worldwide this year. Sorenstam, who has won her last three starts, used 11 Callaway Golf(R) clubs at the Safeway Classic, including Steelhead(TM) X-14(R) Irons and an Odyssey(R) White Hot(R) "2-Ball" Putter and the HX(R) Red golf ball.
Sorenstam was one of 36 golfers to tee it up with a Great Big Bertha II Titanium Driver at the Safeway Classic, making it the No. 1 driver model in play at the event. Overall, Callaway Golf won the driver count with 62 drivers in play, compared with 29 for the nearest competitor. In all, 116 players worldwide used the new driver across the six major global tours combined last week. Callaway Golf also led the LPGA event in fairway woods, irons and putters in play, and was No. 2 in golf ball use. The Company also leads the LPGA Tour in driver wins (14), iron wins (11), putter wins (17) and ball wins (12) over the tour's 26 events so far this year.
Fleisher set a Senior PGA Tour scoring record with his 19-under-par total at the RJR Championship, winning by a whopping five strokes. Using his Great Big Bertha II Pro Series Titanium Driver to card a first-round 60, he tied the lowest round ever shot on the Senior PGA Tour. "You have to drive the ball very well on this course because of the Bermuda rough," said Fleisher of Tanglewood Park's Championship Course. "I drove it beautifully with the Great Big Bertha II. This is one heck of a driver." Fleisher led the RJR Championship field in driving accuracy at 83.3 percent for the week. Fleisher also led the field in birdies with 21, greens hit in regulation at 87 percent, and he was also first in putts per green in regulation at 1.596.
Fleisher used a total of 14 Callaway Golf clubs at the RJR Championship, including a Steelhead III Strong 3-wood, Hawk Eye(R) VFT(R) Tungsten Injected(TM) Titanium Irons, three Callaway Golf Forged Wedges and an Odyssey White Hot 5 Putter. Fleisher also used the CTU 30(R) Red ball. Callaway Golf again swept the golf club usage counts at the event, leading in drivers, fairway woods, irons, putters and -- for the fourth consecutive week -- wedges, while finishing a strong second in golf ball usage. With this week's two victories, Callaway Golf balls have now been used to win 44 events across the PGA, Senior PGA, LPGA, Buy.com, PGA European and Japan Golf tours this year, second only to Titleist. The next nearest competitor to Callaway Golf has just 11 golf ball wins.
Callaway Golf equipment was also used to win tournaments on three of the world's other major professional tours yesterday. The winners of the Buy.com Oregon Classic and the Japan Golf Tour Suntory Open each used fairway woods made by Callaway Golf. The winner of the Linde German Masters also used a Callaway Golf fairway wood and an Odyssey White Hot "2-Ball" Putter. Odyssey Putters have now been used to win 64 times across the world's six major professional tours combined this year, compared with 44 for the nearest competitor. Odyssey White Hot "2-Ball" Putters have accounted for 19 of those victories.
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, and Callaway Golf Forged Wedges. Callaway Golf Company also makes and sells Odyssey(R) Putters, including White Hot(R), TriHot(R), and Dual Force(R) Putters. Callaway Golf Company makes and sells the Callaway Golf(R) HX(R) Blue and HX Red balls, the CTU 30(R) Blue and CTU 30 Red balls, the HX 2-Piece Blue and HX 2-Piece Red balls, the CB1(R) Blue and CB1 Red balls, and the Warbird(TM) golf 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, Carlsbad
Larry Dorman/Mike Galeski/Millie Speirs, 760/931-1771
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