CARLSBAD, Calif., Sep 8, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY) and its new prototype driver both were victorious yesterday. The winner of the Kroger Classic used the hot new prototype driver to lead the tournament from start to finish and earn his first Champions Tour victory in more than a year. Callaway Golf's prototype driver has become one of the most popular drivers across the world's professional tours despite limited availability during its testing with tour players. In fact, it was the No. 1 single driver model in play on the PGA European Tour last week.

Callaway Golf continues to test the new driver with touring professionals and average golfers alike, and the final call has yet to be made about when the driver will be available at retail. The strong performance of this prototype driver and the ongoing popularity of the Great Big Bertha(R) II Titanium Drivers gave Callaway Golf the #1 driver count position outright on the LPGA and PGA European Tours and a tie for #1 on the Champions Tour last week.

The wire-to-wire winner of the Kroger Classic used his Callaway Golf prototype driver to average 280.3 yards in driving distance last week, the third-highest average at the rain-soaked TPC of River's Bend. The winner's 16-under-par total of 200 gave him a two-stroke margin of victory. In his last two starts, the 22-time senior winner has now finished second and first since switching to the new driver.

A total of 13 players used the prototype driver at the Kroger Classic, including Callaway Golf Staff Professional Jim Thorpe -- who shot a tournament-low 64 in the final round and finished tied for third using the new driver and a new Callaway Golf prototype golf ball. Four of the top 10 finishers at the Kroger Classic used the prototype driver, including Callaway Golf Staff Professional Bruce Fleisher.

The powerful combination of Callaway Golf's prototype driver and prototype golf ball is reverberating on the world's major professional tours. A total of 84 players used the prototype driver across the PGA, Champions, LPGA, Nationwide and PGA European tours combined last week, while 93 players put the prototype ball in play -- marking the highest usage numbers to date for both products. The 28 players who used the driver at the Omega European Masters made it the #1 driver model in play at the event. On the PGA Tour, Callaway Golf Staff Professional Charles Howell III led the Bell Canadian Open in driving distance average at 324.3 yards using the prototype driver-ball combination, while Callaway Golf Staff Professionals Emilee Klein and Jill McGill each used the driver and ball to finished tied for sixth at the John Q. Hammonds Hotel Classic.

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.

SOURCE: Callaway Golf Company

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