Callaway Golf Staff Professional Annika Sorenstam Makes Triumphant Return To LPGA Tour Using Great Big Bertha II Titanium Driver
CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 2, 2003--Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) Staff Professional Annika Sorenstam has followed her history-making appearance on the PGA Tour with a record-setting return to the LPGA Tour, winning the Kellogg-Keebler Classic yesterday in dominating fashion. Sorenstam set a tournament record with her first-round 62 at the event and never looked back in successfully defending one of her 11 LPGA Tour titles from last year. Sorenstam has now won twice on the LPGA Tour this season and a total of three times in the seven events she has played around the world.
Sorenstam's victory at the Kellogg-Keebler Classic capped another week of unprecedented attention in the wake of her historic appearance in the Bank of America Colonial on the PGA Tour two weeks ago. The 32-year-old superstar remains the talk of the golf world, and her performance at Stonebridge Country Club didn't disappoint. Sorenstam carded six birdies and two eagles in her opening-round 62, then birdied the last five holes of her second round. She finished at 17-under-par 199 to win by three strokes, recording her 44th career LPGA Tour victory.
"My confidence is high and I feel like I'm really hitting the ball well right now," Sorenstam said. "I don't think I could have asked for better preparation for this week's McDonald's LPGA Championship." Sorenstam will be gunning for her fifth career major championship at that event, which starts this Thursday.
Sorenstam used 11 Callaway Golf(R) clubs at the Kellogg-Keebler Classic, including a Great Big Bertha(R) II Pro Series Titanium Driver, a Big Bertha(R) Steelhead(TM) III 7-wood, Steelhead X-14(R) Irons and an Odyssey(R) White Hot(R) 2-Ball Center-Shafted Putter, along with the Company's HX(R) Red golf ball. The top six finishers at the event all used at least one piece of Callaway Golf equipment, and the Company led the LPGA Tour driver, fairway wood, iron and putter usage counts for the week.
Including Sorenstam, winners across four of the five major professional tours that were in action yesterday relied upon equipment made by Callaway Golf. The winner of the Memorial earned his second consecutive PGA Tour victory using an Odyssey Dual Force(R) Rossie 1 Putter, while the wire-to-wire winner of the Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open used an Odyssey TriHot(R) 3 Putter. On the Champions Tour, the winner of the Music City Championship used two Callaway Golf fairway woods, including a Steelhead III Strong 3-wood, and also led wire to wire as he claimed the second title of his senior career.
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.
CONTACT:
Callaway Golf Company
Larry Dorman / Mike Galeski
760/931-1771
SOURCE: Callaway Golf Company