Callaway Golf’s New Conforming Driver – The Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Driver – Wins For The Fifth Time
Callaway Golf’s New Conforming Driver – The Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Driver – Wins For The Fifth Time
October 23, 2000 at 12:00 AM EDT
CONTACT(S): Larry Dorman, Mike Galeski, Millie Speirs (760) 931-1771
CARLSBAD, CA, October 23, 2000 – Less than one week after Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY) officially unveiled its Big Bertha® Hawk Eye® VFT™ Titanium Driver to the public, the much-heralded new driver was used to win the Tampa Bay Classic yesterday. This is the fifth professional victory for the Hawk Eye VFT Driver, which features Callaway Golf’s patented Variable Face Thickness technology. Four previous tour wins were recorded by pros who used a prototype version of the Hawk Eye VFT Driver first tested the world’s major professional circuit six weeks ago.
Using his new Hawk Eye VFT Titanium Driver – which conforms with all USGA Rules, including those for so-called “spring-like effect” – the winner of the inaugural Tampa Bay Classic earned his first PGA Tour victory in two years. His driving distance average at the event was 285.1 yards – 12 yards above his year-to-date driving distance average of 273 yards. During his final-round 65, the winner averaged 295.1 yards off the tee.
The Hawk Eye VFT Titanium Driver also made a big impression at the Kaanapali Classic on the Senior PGA Tour. Eleven players put the driver in play, making it the most-played driver model at the event. The nearest competing model had nine drivers in play. Overall, Callaway Golf won the driver count at the event with 26 drivers in play. Callaway Golf Staff Professional Jim Thorpe finished tied for third at the event after winning the two previous Senior PGA Tour events using his Hawk Eye VFT Titanium Driver. The new driver was used to record top-10 finishes on the PGA, Senior PGA, LPGA and PGA European tours yesterday, and it (or prototypes of it) has already been put in play more than 130 times on the world’s five major professional tours.
“We are very pleased to see the rapid acceptance of our new Hawk Eye VFT Driver by the touring professionals,” said Ely Callaway, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Callaway Golf. “We believe that this great new conforming driver will also be enthusiastically received by amateur golfers who choose to play with conforming golf clubs. These drivers – with matching fairway woods -- will be available in quantity for consumers not later than January of 2001. We also believe that our new ERC™ II Driver, which does not conform to USGA Rules for so-called ‘spring-like effect,’ will be a big hit with golfers who play recreational golf. The ERC II also will be available at retail stores not later than January.”
Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha® Metal Woods and Irons, including Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Titanium Metal Woods, Big Bertha ERC II Forged Titanium Drivers, Great Big Bertha® Hawk Eye® Titanium Metal Woods and Hawk Eye Tungsten Injected™ Titanium Irons, Big Bertha Steelhead Plus™ Stainless Steel Metal Woods, Steelhead™ X-14® Stainless Steel Irons, and Bobby Jones® and Carlsbad Series™ Putters. Callaway Golf Company also makes and sells Odyssey® putters with Stronomic® inserts, including White Hot™ and TriForce® Putters. Callaway Golf Ball Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Callaway Golf Company, makes and sells the Callaway Golf "Rule 35™" Firmfeel™ and Softfeel™ golf balls. For more information about Callaway Golf Company, please visit our Web sites at www.callawaygolf.com, www.callawaygolfball.com and www.odysseygolf.com.