ERC II Driver Win Highlights A Four-victory Worldwide Weekend Performance For Callaway Golf
ERC II Driver Win Highlights A Four-victory Worldwide Weekend Performance For Callaway Golf
March 12, 2001 at 12:00 AM EST
CONTACT(S): Larry Dorman, Mike Galeski, Millie Speirs (760) 931-1771
CARLSBAD, CA., March 12, 2001 – Drivers made by Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) were used to win four professional tour events yesterday, including the first-ever victory by a player using a Big Bertha® ERC™ II Forged Titanium Driver on the PGA European Tour. This four-way sweep gives Callaway Golf a 2001 season total of 13 driver wins – more than any other driver manufacturer across the PGA, Senior PGA, LPGA, Buy.com and PGA European tours combined. Three of yesterday’s driver victories were recorded by Callaway Golf Staff Professionals: Annika Sorenstam successfully defended her title at the Welch’s/Circle K Championship, Jim Colbert won the SBC Senior Classic and Jesper Parnevik triumphed at the Honda Classic.
The winner of the Qatar Masters was one of 32 players in the field – including three of the top five finishers – to tee it up with an ERC II Forged Titanium Driver. The champion at Qatar shot a 14-under-par 274 for a two-stroke victory. His sixth career PGA European Tour victory included a stellar third-round 66, during which his driving distance average was 291.5 yards. The champion used a total of 11 Callaway Golf® clubs, including a Big Bertha Steelhead® Strong 4-wood, Steelhead X-14® Pro Series Irons and an Odyssey® Dual Force® 440 Putter, as well as a Callaway Golf “Rule 35™” Softfeel™ ball. The top five finishers at Qatar used Odyssey Putters, and four of the top five used Callaway Golf drivers – including three ERC II Drivers and one Big Bertha Hawk Eye® VFT™ Titanium Driver.
Overall, Callaway Golf has now been the #1 brand of driver in use in each of the last seven events on the PGA European Tour. And the ERC II Driver has been the #1 model of driver for six of those seven weeks. Significantly, Callaway Golf does not pay any “tee-up” money to professionals for using Callaway Golf drivers. Callaway Golf Staff Professionals accounted for just 48 of the 390 times that Callaway Golf drivers were put into play in the seven tournaments.
Meanwhile, the three victories recorded by Callaway Golf Staff Professionals yesterday were in the United States, where the ERC II is deemed non-conforming for tournament play. Each of the three staff professionals used a USGA-conforming Callaway Golf driver in their triumphant performances.
Annika Sorenstam used a new Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Driver in her runaway win at the Welch’s/Circle K Championship, shooting the second-lowest tournament score in LPGA Tour history – a 23-under-par 265. Sorenstam posted four rounds in the 60s, including 65s in the first and final rounds, to win by a six-stroke margin. In three events this year, Sorenstam now has a victory and two second-place finishes. The future Hall of Fame member has now won 24 LPGA Tour events and leads the tour in scoring average (68.5) and money won in 2001.
“This is as good as I’ve played in a long time,” said Sorenstam, who carded 24 birdies against a single bogey over the four-round event. “All four days I felt comfortable and nothing has affected me. I’ve been in control all week. I knew I could play this course and it’s great when you have that feeling.” Sorenstam broke the tournament scoring record at the Welch’s/Circle K Championship using 11 Callaway Golf clubs, including the Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series 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 ball.
Like Sorenstam, Jim Colbert used the potent combination of a Hawk Eye VFT Driver and a “Rule 35” ball to win the SBC Senior Classic. Colbert used 13 Callaway Golf clubs, including a Hawk Eye VFT Titanium Driver, Steelhead Plus 3-wood and 5-wood, Steelhead X-14 Irons and a new Odyssey White Hot™ 7 Putter. Colbert used the “Rule 35” Firmfeel™ ball in what was the 20th win of his Senior PGA Tour career. He is now one of only three golfers to have won professional tournaments in five decades. “This win means a lot to me,” said Colbert, who became the 10th player in senior tour history to win past his 60th birthday. “I feel the best about this win. It’s so fulfilling.”
Callaway Golf products were well represented on the SBC Senior Classic leaderboard. The top two finishers at the event used Hawk Eye VFT Titanium Drivers, and six of the top 12 finishers used titanium drivers made by Callaway Golf. Eight of the top 12 finishers used Odyssey Putters, while seven of the top 12 finishers used “Rule 35” Firmfeel balls.
Jesper Parnevik rounded out the Callaway Golf Staff Professional victory procession by earning the fifth PGA Tour win of his career. His one-stroke victory at the Honda Classic included 22 birdies against just four bogeys. Parnevik used 12 Callaway Golf clubs, including a Biggest Big Bertha® Titanium Driver, Big Bertha Steelhead 3-wood and 5-wood and Big Bertha X-12 Irons. With the win, Parnevik passed the $7 million mark in career PGA Tour earnings and extended his streak of years with at least one tour victory to four.
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.