CARLSBAD, Calif., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY)
continued its tradition of strong usage equipment usage numbers on the
professional tours in 2000. In particular, fairway woods made by Callaway Golf
topped the usage charts on each of the world's five major professional tours.
The Company's drivers, irons and Odyssey(R) Putters also were at or near the
top of each tour's usage lists, according to numbers from the Darrell Survey
Company and Sports Marketing Surveys, Ltd.
Overall, Callaway Golf finished the season as the most-played manufacturer
of drivers, fairway woods and irons on the world's five major professional
tours combined. Likewise, Odyssey Golf was the most-played putter brand on
the world's five major professional tours combined. This marks the third
consecutive year that Callaway Golf has been atop the combined tour usage list
in all four categories.
Callaway Golf also led the PGA, Senior PGA, LPGA, Buy.com and PGA European
tours combined in driver and putter wins, while the new Callaway Golf ball was
the second-winningest ball brand on the world's five major professional tours
combined in its first year of tour usage.
It wasn't just clubs and balls that were winners for Callaway Golf. The
Company's roster of staff professionals accrued more victories than any other
golf company's professional staff. All told, 2000 has been one of the best
years in the Company's history in terms of tour usage and performance.
Here are some of Callaway Golf's tour highlights from the past season:
-- Leading driver brand on the Senior PGA, LPGA and PGA European tours.
Drivers made by Callaway Golf were used to win 60 events on the world's
five major professional tours combined, compared with 55 for the
nearest competitor. For the year, 6,869 drivers made by Callaway Golf
were put in play on the world's five major tours combined, compared
with 5,270 for the nearest competitor.
-- Leading fairway wood brand on each of the world's five major
professional tours, accounting for 50.2 percent of all fairway woods
put in play compared with 16.8 percent for the nearest competitor. On
the LPGA Tour, Callaway Golf accounted for a whopping 71.9 percent of
all fairway woods used over the course of the season. A total of
8,934 Steelhead Plus(TM) Fairway Woods were put in play on the world's
five major professional tours this year. By contrast, all models of the
nearest competitor's fairway woods accounted for just 7,269 of the
fairway woods in play. A total of 21,675 fairway woods made by Callaway
Golf were put in play this year on the world's five major professional
tours combined -- that's more than every other fairway wood
manufacturer combined this year.
-- Leading irons brand on the Senior PGA and LPGA tours, as well as on the
world's five major professional tours combined. There were 4,484 sets
of Callaway Golf irons put in on the world's five major professional
tours this year, with nearly half being Steelhead(TM) X-14(R) Irons
introduced early in 2000.
-- Leading putter brand on the Senior PGA, LPGA, Buy.com and PGA European
tours, as well as on all five of the world's major professional tours
combined. Odyssey Golf putters were used to win 57 events across the
world's five major professional tours, compared with 54 for the nearest
competitor.
-- Second-most golf ball wins on the world's five major professional tours
combined with 23, more than Spalding, Maxfli, Bridgestone and Nike.
More than 70 professionals have used the Callaway Golf ball on tour
this year, and more than half did so without receiving any payment from
Callaway Golf.
-- Staff Professional Annika Sorenstam satisfied the performance
requirements for entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame using Callaway Golf
clubs -- as she has her entire LPGA Tour career -- plus a Callaway Golf
ball and an Odyssey White Hot(TM) Putter. In all, Sorenstam won five
times in 2000.
-- Staff Professional Bruce Fleisher won four times this year using
14 Callaway Golf clubs and a Callaway Golf ball. He increased his
driving distance average by more than 10 yards over his 1999 average
(from 263.7 to 274) after switching to a Callaway Golf ball, including
a 370-yard drive that was the longest recorded on the Senior PGA Tour
in 2000.
-- Fleisher and Sorenstam each won using both the Callaway Golf
Firmfeel(TM) (red logo) and Softfeel(TM) (blue logo) ball models.
Sorenstam won three times with a Firmfeel ball and twice with a
Softfeel ball, while Fleisher won three times with a Firmfeel model and
once with a Softfeel model.
-- The Company's staff professionals won a total of 32 events on the five
tours combined in 2000. Nine of them won multiple events:
Michael Campbell (3), Fleisher (4), Pierre Fulke (2), Lorie Kane (3),
Colin Montgomerie (2), Jesper Parnevik (2), Jim Thorpe (2), Sorenstam
(5) and Tohru Taniguchi (2).
Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha(R) Metal Woods and Irons,
including Big Bertha ERC(TM) II Forged Titanium Drivers, Big Bertha Hawk
Eye(R) VFT(TM) and Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Drivers and
Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Steelhead Plus(TM) Stainless Steel Drivers and
Fairway Woods, Hawk Eye Tungsten Injected(TM) Titanium Irons, Steelhead(TM)
X-14(R) and Steelhead X-14 Pro Series Stainless Steel Irons. Callaway Golf
Company also makes and sells Odyssey(R) Putters, including White Hot(TM),
TriHot(TM), and Dual Force(R) Putters. Callaway Golf Company makes and sells
the Callaway Golf(R) Rule 35(TM) Firmfeel(TM) and Softfeel(TM) golf balls, and
the CB1(TM) Red golf ball. For more information about Callaway Golf Company,
please visit our Web sites at http://www.callawaygolf.com, http://www.callawaygolfball.com
and http://www.odysseygolf.com.
SOURCE Callaway Golf
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Related links:
http://www.callawaygolf.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/124825.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 124825
CONTACT:
Larry Dorman, Mike Galeski, or Millie Speirs,
all of Callaway Golf, 760-931-1771
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