CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 2003--Callaway Golf (NYSE:ELY) Staff Professional Jim Thorpe used the Company's new ERC(R) Fusion(R) Driver and HX(R) Tour Golf ball to power his way to a wire-to-wire victory at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship yesterday. Thorpe's impressive victory over an elite field at the season-ending event lifted him to second on the Champions Tour money list and was one of two wins posted yesterday by players using Callaway Golf's innovative new driver. The winner of the Telefonica Open de Madrid also used the new ERC Fusion Driver, which combines a forged titanium cup-face area with a precision-weighted composite body to produce explosive performance. The new driver -- which is scheduled to ship to select retail accounts in December -- has now been used to win seven events across the world's major professional tours, including six victories over the last five weeks.

Thorpe's performance at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship was nothing short of spectacular. His 63-67 start established a 36-hole tournament scoring record, then he outlasted Tour legend Tom Watson in a head-to-head duel over the final two rounds to win by three strokes, hitting all 18 greens in regulation in the final round. Thorpe used the powerful combination of the ERC Fusion Driver and HX Tour Golf Ball to finish at 20-under-par 268 -- his lowest score of the season. Fittingly, Thorpe received his biggest payday of the year, earning $440,000 for the victory and another $500,000 for finishing second in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup standings. Thorpe was one of 75 golfers to use the new HX Tour Golf Ball across the five major professional tours that held events last week, and his victory was the sixth for Callaway Golf's new flagship ball.

Thorpe played a full set of 14 Callaway Golf(R) clubs, including his ERC Fusion Driver, a Big Bertha(R) Steelhead(R) III 3-wood, Hawk Eye(R) VFT(R) Tungsten-Injected(TM) Titanium Irons and an Odyssey(R) White Hot(R) 2-Ball Blade Putter. Thorpe caught fire after switching to the Odyssey White Hot 2-Ball Blade Putter at the Ford Senior Players Championship in mid-July, posting two victories among his 10 top-10 finishes over his final 13 events of the year. He was a combined 120-under-par over those 13 events, including a career-best 60 during the second round of his victory at the Long Island Classic. Thorpe led the Charles Schwab Cup Championship field in putts per green in regulation at 1.661 and made several long putts, including a 67-footer for eagle on No. 16 to close the door in the final round.

Meanwhile, the winner of the Telefonica Open de Madrid also used the potent combination of an ERC Fusion Driver and an Odyssey Putter to post the biggest final-round comeback on the PGA European Tour this season. The winner's final-round 65 allowed him to make up a six-stroke deficit and earn a one-stroke margin of victory. The two-time PGA European Tour winner averaged 303.38 yards in driving distance using his ERC Fusion Driver, and he averaged just 28 putts per round using an Odyssey(R) TriHot(R)3 Putter. Odyssey Golf was also the putter brand of choice for the winner of the Bridgestone Open in Japan, where the champion used an Odyssey White Hot 2-Ball Putter. Odyssey 2-Ball Putters have now been used to win 27 tournaments this year across the world's six major professional tours combined. Odyssey Putters accounted for exactly half of all putters put in play at both the Bridgstone Open and the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha(R) Metal Woods and Irons, including ERC(R) Fusion(R) Drivers, Great Big Bertha(R) II Titanium Drivers and Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Steelhead(R) 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(R) 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) Tour balls, HX 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. Callaway Golf also owns and operates The Top-Flite Golf Company, a wholly owned subsidiary that includes the Top-Flite(R), Strata(R) and Ben Hogan(R) brands. For more information about Callaway Golf Company, please visit our websites at www.callawaygolf.com, www.topflite.com and www.odysseygolf.com.

CONTACT:
Callaway Golf
Larry Dorman or Mike Galeski,
760-931-1771

SOURCE: Callaway Golf Company