Callaway Golf's CTU 30 Golf Ball Wins Again On PGA Tour; Momentum Continues for New Prototype Great Big Bertha II Driver

September 3, 2002 at 7:04 PM EDT

CARLSBAD, Calif., Sep 3, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) has earned another golf ball victory on the PGA Tour. Callaway Golf Ball Staff Professional Gene Sauers won the Air Canada Championship using the CTU 30(R) Red golf ball, claiming his first tour title in 13 years. Callaway Golf has now recorded five golf ball wins on the PGA Tour this season and a total of 41 ball wins across the world's six major professional tours combined in 2002.

Sauers was solid from tee to green using the CTU 30 Red golf ball at the Air Canada Championship. He finished the event tied for first in driving accuracy at 78.6 percent and led the field in putts per round at 26. The 40-year-old tour veteran earned $630,000 for his one-stroke win, his first victory since 1989. The winner was one of 24 golfers using Callaway Golf(R) balls at the Air Canada Championship, making Callaway Golf the No. 2 ball brand in play on the PGA Tour last week. In fact, Callaway Golf was the No. 2 ball in play on each major professional tour in play last week, including the PGA, Senior PGA, LPGA, PGA European and Japan Golf tours. A total of 183 golfers teed it up with Callaway Golf balls on those tours last week, compared with just 58 for the No. 3 golf ball brand.

Callaway Golf equipment was also a winner at the LPGA State Farm Classic, where the champion used a Big Bertha(R) Hawk Eye(R) VFT(R) Pro Series Titanium Driver and a Callaway Golf Forged Wedge to card her first victory in the United States. The winner shot bogey-free opening and final rounds en route to the fourth victory of her professional career. The win was the 12th for players using Callaway Golf drivers on the LPGA Tour this year, compared with six for the nearest competitor. Each of the top seven finishers at the State Farm Classic used at least one piece of Callaway Golf equipment.

Callaway Golf's hot new prototype Great Big Bertha(R) II Titanium Driver also had a big week on the world's professional tours. Usage of the driver has been increasing each week since seven golfers first put in play at the Buick Open four weeks ago. A total of 100 golfers used a prototype Great Big Bertha II Titanium Driver across the PGA, Senior PGA, LPGA, PGA European and Japan Golf tours combined last week. Callaway Golf rode this momentum to post driver count victories on the Senior PGA, LPGA and Japan Golf tours last week.

Callaway Golf Staff Professional Emilee Klein used a prototype Great Big Bertha II Titanium Driver to post two bogey-free rounds in the sixties on the weekend at the State Farm Classic, finishing tied for fourth and clinching a spot on the U.S. Solheim Cup team. Callaway Golf Staff Professionals Bruce Fleisher and Stewart Ginn each used the new driver to finish tied for seventh at the Allianz Championship, while another top-10 finisher used one to record a sixth-place finish at the Air Canada Championship. The prototype Great Big Bertha II Titanium Driver is already a winner on tour, as the winner of the NEC Invitational used the driver to earn the event's $1 million first prize two weeks ago.

Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha(R) Metal Woods and Irons, including 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-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), 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

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