Callaway Staff Pro Annika Sorenstam Continues 2001 Dominance; Wins Third Straight Title With ‘Rule 35’ Ball, VFT Driver
Callaway Staff Pro Annika Sorenstam Continues 2001 Dominance; Wins Third Straight Title With ‘Rule 35’ Ball, VFT Driver
March 26, 2001 at 12:00 AM EST
CONTACT(S): Larry Dorman, Mike Galeski, Millie Speirs (760) 931-1771
CARLSBAD, CA., March 26, 2001 – Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) Staff Professional Annika Sorenstam continued her remarkable run into the LPGA Tour history books yesterday, winning the Nabisco Championship for the third major championship of her stellar career, her 26th career title and her third consecutive victory of the 2001 LPGA season. With the three-stroke victory in the season’s first major championship, Sorenstam has now finished an amazing 2nd –2nd –1st –1st –1st in her five tournament starts this year.
Her three-stroke victory at the Nabisco marks the first major championship win for Callaway Golf’s “Rule 35®” ball and for the new Hawk Eye® VFT™ Titanium Driver.
After setting or tying six different LPGA Tour scoring records at last week’s Standard Register Ping – where she became the first woman ever to shoot 59 in competition – Sorenstam’s performance at the Nabisco Championship was nothing less than masterful. She shot a 72-hole total of 7-under-par 281, hitting 35 of 36 greens in regulation over the final two rounds to help her add another major championship to her 1995 and ’96 U.S. Women’s Open victories.
“I didn't shoot 59 this week, but because this is a major championship on a difficult course, this win really ranks up there with a 59,” said Sorenstam, 30. “This is a dream come true. I just trusted my game and was patient. I’m so confident in my ability to hit every fairway and every green that I can just go out there and play my game.”
As she has throughout her torrid 2001 streak, Sorenstam used 11 Callaway Golf® clubs at the Nabisco Championship, including a Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Driver, Steelhead Plus™ 4-wood and 7-wood, Steelhead® X-14® Irons and an Odyssey® Dual Force® Rossie® 2 Putter. Sorenstam also used a “Rule 35” Softfeel™ (blue logo) ball. In the 13 months since it was launched, the Callaway Golf ball has been used in more than 40 professional victories around the world.
Sorenstam’s sensational play has put her atop several LPGA Tour statistical categories. She leads the tour in money won ($636,448), scoring average (68.17), greens hit in regulation (83.6 percent) and rounds under par (16 out of 18 played). In the five tournaments she’s played this year, Sorenstam is a combined 69-under par.
“This has been a truly remarkable stretch of golf by one of the greatest golf champions in history,” said Ely Callaway, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Callaway Golf. “Annika has demonstrated unparalleled skill, focus, patience and self-control during this winning streak. We are all very proud of her, and proud that she has been associated with Callaway Golf for her entire professional career.”
Elsewhere, the strong acceptance of Callaway Golf’s Big Bertha® ERC™ II Driver on the PGA European Tour hit new heights this past week. A total of 47 golfers at the Sao Paulo Brazilian Open used an ERC II Forged Titanium Driver – the highest total ever. The high usage number is notable because only two Callaway Golf staff professionals competed in the event, meaning nearly every golfer who used an ERC II did so without receiving any “tee-up” fee. The ERC II remains the most-played driver model on the PGA European Tour this season.
Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha® Metal Woods and Irons, including Big Bertha ERC™ II Forged Titanium Drivers, Big Bertha Hawk Eye® VFT™ and Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Drivers and Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Steelhead Plus™ Stainless Steel Drivers and Fairway Woods, Hawk Eye Tungsten Injected™ Titanium Irons, Steelhead™ X-14® and Steelhead X-14 Pro Series Stainless Steel Irons. Callaway Golf Company also makes and sells Odyssey® Putters, including White Hot®, TriHot™, and Dual Force® Putters. Callaway Golf Company makes and sells the Callaway Golf® “Rule 35®” Firmfeel™ and Softfeel™ golf balls, and the CB1™ Red golf ball. For more information about Callaway Golf Company, please visit our Web sites at www.callawaygolf.com, www.callawaygolfball.com and www.odysseygolf.com.