CARLSBAD, Calif., May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) Staff
Professionals Annika Sorenstam and Bruce Fleisher continued their multiple-win
seasons with a pair of victories yesterday. Each relied on the potent
combination of a Big Bertha(R) Hawk Eye(R) VFT(TM) Pro Series Titanium Driver
and the "Rule 35"(R) golf ball in their triumphs -- the fifth of the year for
Sorenstam, the second for Fleisher. This marks the latest high point in what
has been a victorious 2001 season for Callaway Golf, which leads all
manufacturers in driver, iron and putter victories across the world's five
major professional tours combined.
The victories were the latest examples of the precision shotmaking
Sorenstam and Fleisher achieve with the "Rule 35" ball. Sorenstam uses the
Softfeel(TM) (blue logo) model and currently leads the LPGA Tour in greens in
regulation at 83.3 percent and is second in driving accuracy at 85.4 percent.
Meanwhile, Fleisher -- using the Firmfeel(TM) (red logo) model -- is third on
the Senior PGA Tour in greens hit in regulation at 71.9 percent and is fifth
in driving accuracy at 81.2 percent.
Sorenstam completed another spirited comeback with her playoff victory at
the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship, birdieing five of the final six holes in
regulation to force extra holes. Sorenstam's par on the second playoff hole
clinched the 28th victory of her LPGA Tour career -- and her 10th playoff win
in 13 tries. Sorenstam used 11 Callaway Golf(R) clubs at the Chick-fil-A
Charity Championship, including a Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Driver,
Steelhead Plus(TM) 4-wood and 7-wood, Steelhead(R) X-14(R) Irons and an
Odyssey(R) Dual Force(R) Rossie(R) 2 Putter. Sorenstam has now won five of
her last six events and leads the LPGA Tour in money won, scoring average and
player of the year points. Eight of the 12 LPGA Tour events this year have
been won by players using "Rule 35" golf balls.
Meanwhile, Fleisher became the fifth player in Senior PGA Tour history to
win the same event three years running with his victory at the Home Depot
Invitational. Fleisher felt the "Rule 35" Firmfeel ball gave him an advantage
during the windy final round. "I feel very confident that I can control my
ball in the wind," said Fleisher. "I think the wind allows fewer players into
that circle."
Fleisher used 13 Callaway Golf clubs in the victory, including his Hawk
Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Driver, Steelhead Plus 4-wood and 5-wood, Hawk Eye
Tungsten Injected Titanium Irons and an Odyssey TriForce(TM) Putter. He led
the Home Depot Invitational field in greens hit in regulation at 87 percent
and was third in driving accuracy at 81 percent. Over his last six starts,
Fleisher has posted two victories and five top-10 finishes.
In addition to the victories by Fleisher and Sorenstam, it was a very
successful weekend for the Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium
Drivers. On the PGA Tour, Callaway Golf Staff Professionals Charles Howell
III and Stephen Ames each used the drivers -- along with Steelhead X-14 Pro
Series Irons and "Rule 35" balls -- to score top-10 finishes at the Compaq
Classic on the PGA Tour. On the Senior PGA Tour, Fleisher was joined in the
top five at the Home Depot Invitational by Jim Colbert and Jim Thorpe, each of
whom used a Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Driver. Sorenstam was one of two
top-10 finishers to use the driver at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship,
and the driver was also used to card a top-3 finish on the Buy.com Tour. The
Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Drivers feature neutral weighting,
which is intended to help professional and skilled amateur players shape and
control ball flight.
Callaway Golf's Big Bertha ERC(TM) II Forged Titanium Driver also had an
exceptional showing on the PGA European Tour. A total of 40 golfers at the
French Open used ERC II Forged Titanium Drivers, including five top-10
finishers. Callaway Golf Staff Professionals accounted for only five of the
40 ERC II Drivers in play at the event, meaning the other 35 golfers who used
an ERC II did so without any financial incentive. The ERC II is the
most-played driver model on the PGA European Tour this season, and Callaway
Golf is the most-played driver brand on the PGA European Tour in 2001.
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(R),
TriHot(TM), and Dual Force(R) Putters. Callaway Golf Company makes and sells
the Callaway Golf(R) "Rule 35"(R) Firmfeel(TM) and Softfeel(TM) golf balls,
and the CB1(TM) Red and CB1 Blue golf balls. 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 Company
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http://www.callawaygolf.com
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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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