CARLSBAD, Calif., May 19, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- An Odyssey(R) 2-Ball Putter was used to win the Nationwide Virginia Beach Open yesterday, marking the ninth international tour victory of the year for the best-selling putter in golf. These unique putters have dominated the professional tours over the past two years while boosting Odyssey Golf -- a brand of Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY) -- to its highest sales and market-share numbers ever, and this week the distinctive Odyssey 2-Ball will take center stage again as Annika Sorenstam's putter of choice in her historic appearance in the PGA Tour's Bank of America Colonial tournament.

Sorenstam has done more than any other touring professional to raise the profile of the Odyssey 2-Ball putter, using it to win 17 tournaments, including three international events, since switching to it late in the 2001 LPGA season. And despite the introduction on tour of several competing putters utilizing similar designs, Odyssey 2-Ball Putters continue to gain ground around the world -- with pros and amateurs alike.

In fact, the best-selling Odyssey 2-Ball Putters are used more than any other putter across the world's six major professional tours combined. Through May 18, a total of 1,367 Odyssey 2-Ball Putters have been put in play across the PGA, Champions, LPGA, Nationwide, PGA European and Japan Golf tours combined -- more than double the number of Odyssey 2-Ball Putters in play at the same time last year. That total includes the Odyssey White Hot(R) 2-Ball standard, Mid and Long, and Center Shafted models, as well as the new Odyssey DFX(TM) 2-Ball Putter -- the model that was used to win the Nationwide Virginia Beach Open yesterday.

Odyssey 2-Ball Putters have now been used to win 38 events across the world's six major professional tours combined since their introduction in late 2001. The Odyssey 2-Ball Putter family got off to a remarkably fast start when Paul Lawrie holed a 60-foot putt across the famed "Valley of Sin" in front of the 18th green at the Old Course at St. Andrews to win the Dunhill Links event and earn shot of the year honors on the PGA European Tour. Annika fueled the 2-Ball fires by winning two of her final three tournaments in 2001. Since then, 2-Ball Putters have become highly visible mainstays on the world's professional tours and in the bags of amateur players the world over.

A wide variety of Odyssey Golf putters were winners yesterday, as Odyssey Putters were used to win three of the five events played on the world's major professional tours yesterday. In addition to the Odyssey DFX 2-Ball Putter victory on the Nationwide Tour, the winner of the Bayer Advantage Invitational on the Champions Tour used an Odyssey TriHot(R) 3 Putter. And overseas, the winner of the Deutsche Bank SAP Open used an Odyssey White Hot 2 Putter. Odyssey Putters have been used to win 20 times across the world's six major professional tours this season, and Odyssey Golf leads all putter brands in usage across the PGA, Champions, LPGA, Nationwide, PGA European and Japan Golf tours combined. A total of 37.3 percent of all putters used on those tours this season have been Odyssey Putters -- compared with 25.3 percent for the nearest competitor.

Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha(R) Metal Woods and Irons, including Great Big Bertha(R) II Titanium Drivers and Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Steelhead(TM) III Stainless Steel Drivers and Fairway Woods, Hawk Eye(R) VFT(R) Tungsten Injected(TM) Titanium Irons, Big Bertha Stainless Steel Irons, Steelhead X-16(TM) and Steelhead X-16 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), DFX(TM) 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.

SOURCE: Callaway Golf Company

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