ERC II Forged Titanium Driver Wins Again On European Tour; Callaway Golf Staff Pro Ben Crane Wins On Buy.com Tour

October 15, 2001 at 12:00 AM EDT
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CONTACT(S): Larry Dorman, Mike Galeski and Millie Speirs (760) 931-1771

CARLSBAD, CA., Oct. 15, 2001 – Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) clubs were used to win four tour events around the world yesterday. The victories included the fourth PGA European Tour win of the year for the Big Bertha ERC II Forged Titanium Driver, as well as Callaway Golf Staff Professional Ben Crane's victory at the Buy.com Gila River Classic. Callaway Golf clubs also figured prominently in victories on both the PGA and Senior PGA tours.

The winner of the Cannes Open used his ERC II Forged Titanium Driver to post four rounds in the 60s for a one-stroke margin of victory. The champion used a combination of power and precision off the tee, averaging 287.5 yards in driving distance while hitting 75 percent of the fairways. The first-time PGA European Tour winner was one of six top-10 finishers at the Cannes Open to use an ERC II Driver, while a total of 28 golfers teed it up with ERC II Drivers at the event. More than one of every five drivers (21.8 percent) put in play on the PGA European Tour this year has been an ERC II Driver.

Meanwhile, Callaway Golf Staff Professional Ben Crane was using the Company's other technologically advanced titanium driver model – the Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Titanium Driver – to win the Gila River Classic. Crane hit 16 greens during his final-round 68, then won a three-way playoff on the fourth extra hole for his second career victory. Crane cranked out a driving distance average of 319.6 yards at the event, finishing at 23-under-par 261. For the season, Crane is fourth in driving distance on the Buy.com Tour at 304.8 yards and stands 26th on the money list. At the Gila River Classic, Crane used 11 Callaway Golf clubs, including a Steelhead Plus 3-wood, Big Bertha X-12 Pro Series Irons and an Odyssey White Hot 5 Putter, along with a Rule 35 Firmfeel (red logo) ball.

Crane's victory was one of two weekend wins for Odyssey Putters. The winner of the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas used his Odyssey TriForce 2 Putter to earn his second victory of the PGA Tour season. Odyssey Putters have now been used to win 52 events across the world's five major professional tours through Oct. 14, and Odyssey Golf is No. 1 in putter usage on the PGA, Senior PGA, LPGA, Buy.com and PGA European tours combined this year with 31.5 percent of all putters in play. In addition, Callaway Golf Staff Professional Bruce Fleisher used a unique new prototype Odyssey Putter to post a top-10 finish at The Transamerica yesterday.

Callaway Golf equipment was also used by the winner at The Transamerica, where the champion used a Steelhead Plus 3-wood. Four top-10 finishers at the Senior PGA Tour event, including Fleisher and his fellow Callaway Golf Staff Professionals Jim Colbert and John Mahaffey, used the Company's new HX golf ball. A total of 24 golfers utilized the revolutionary aerodynamic properties of the HX ball at The Transamerica, while another six put the new CTU 30 ball in play.
Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha® Metal Woods and Irons, including Big Bertha ERC® II Forged Titanium Drivers, Big Bertha Hawk Eye® VFT® and Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Drivers and Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Steelhead Plus™ Stainless Steel Drivers and Fairway Woods, Hawk Eye Tungsten Injected™ Titanium Irons, Steelhead™ X-14® and Steelhead X-14 Pro Series Stainless Steel Irons. Callaway Golf Company also makes and sells Odyssey® Putters, including White Hot®, TriHot™, and Dual Force® Putters. Callaway Golf Company makes and sells the Callaway Golf® HX™ Red and HX Blue balls, Rule 35® Firmfeel™ and Softfeel™ balls, the CTU 30™ Red and CTU 30 Blue balls, and the CB1™ Red and CB1 Blue balls. For more information about Callaway Golf Company, please visit our Web sites at www.callawaygolf.com and www.odysseygolf.com.