Callaway Golf Sweeps Equipment Counts On Senior PGA Tour, Also Dominates Equipment Counts On Japan Golf Tour

October 14, 2002 at 6:53 PM EDT

Company's Golf Balls Used to Win Third PGA Tour Event in Four Weeks

CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct 14, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY) yesterday became the first equipment manufacturer in history to win every equipment usage category at a Senior PGA Tour event. The Company topped the count in drivers, fairway woods, irons, wedges, putters and golf balls at the Napa Valley Championship. The last time a manufacturer approached those results on the Senior PGA Tour was February 2001 at the Royal Caribbean Classic, when Callaway Golf won every equipment category except wedges.

Callaway Golf topped the driver count at the Napa Valley Championship with 31 drivers in play -- including 26 of the hot new Great Big Bertha(R) II Titanium Drivers -- compared to 22 for the nearest competitor. The Company also had 78 fairway woods, 25 sets of irons, 39 Odyssey(R) Putters and 37 golf balls in play at the event. In addition, Callaway Golf led the wedge count with 68 wedges in play -- including 31 of the new Callaway Golf(R) Forged Wedges. Nine of the top 13 finishers at the event had at least one piece of Callaway Golf equipment in play.

Callaway Golf also topped the counts in drivers (27), fairway woods (66), irons (20), putters (65) and golf balls (38) on the Japan Golf Tour yesterday at the Tokai Classic. Callaway Golf tied Bridgestone for the lead in the irons count, and won each other count cleanly. Callaway Golf Staff Professional Tohru Taniguchi won the event -- his second consecutive victory and his fourth this season on the Japan Golf Tour. Taniguchi's two-stroke win at Miyoshi Country Club's West Course yesterday vaulted him into first place on the Japan Golf Tour's Order of Merit, where the top four spots are currently occupied by players using Callaway Golf balls. Taniguchi also leads the tour in scoring average at 69.07 strokes per round and greens hit in regulation at 74.04 percent. Taniguchi used Callaway Golf's CTU 30(R) Red golf ball and 12 Callaway Golf clubs, including a Big Bertha Hawk Eye(R) VFT(R) Pro Series Titanium Driver, Steelhead(TM) X-14(R) Pro Series Irons and an Odyssey White Hot(R) 5 Putter.

Callaway Golf balls also continued to gain momentum on the PGA Tour, as players using Callaway Golf balls have now won three of the last four events played on the tour. Ball Staff Professional Phil Tataurangi won the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas yesterday using Callaway Golf's CTU 30 Red golf ball. Combined with Taniguchi's victory in Japan, the Company's golf balls have been used to win 52 events across the world's six major professional tours combined this year -- the highest single-year golf ball victory total for Callaway Golf since it entered the ball business three years ago. That includes five victories over the past two weeks alone.

Callaway Golf's hot streak on the PGA Tour began with a CTU 30 golf ball win at the Tampa Bay Classic four weeks ago. Last week, Callaway Golf Staff Professional Charles Howell III won the Michelob Championship using the HX(R) Red golf ball. Tataurangi made it three wins in four weeks, shooting a bogey-free final-round 62 to finish the five-round event at 29-under-par 330. Tataurangi was outstanding from tee to green in Las Vegas, ranking sixth in driving distance with a 311.7-yard average while finishing third in greens hit in regulation at 86.7 percent. The first-time winner also used Callaway Golf's Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Driver and an Odyssey White Hot 6 Putter in his victory.

Callaway Golf equipment was also used to win on the PGA European and LPGA tours yesterday. The winner of the Trophee Lancome used a Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Driver, Steelhead III Strong 3-wood and a Big Bertha 2-iron, while the winner of the LPGA Tournament of Champions used a pair of Callaway Golf fairway woods.

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 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-16(TM) and Steelhead X-16 Pro Series 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), 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.

 

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