Callaway Golf's ERC II Driver and CTU 30 Golf Ball Highlight a Winning Weekend On World Professional Tours
biz.yahoo.com
CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BW SportsWire)--May 20, 2002--Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) Staff Professional Kenichi Kuboya yesterday became the latest golfer to win with the Company's Big Bertha® ERC® II Forged Titanium Driver. Kuboya's sudden-death victory at the prestigious Japan PGA Championship was one of two wins for the Company's CTU 30(TM) golf balls, highlighting a successful weekend during which Callaway Golf® clubs and balls were used to win multiple events on the world's professional tours.
Kuboya shot a bogey-free 67 in the final round at Koma Country Club in Nara, Japan, and then won in a playoff over Shingo Katayama. Kuboya is one of the longest drivers on the Japan Golf Tour, ranking seventh last season with a driving distance average of 289.2 yards using his ERC II Forged Titanium Driver. Kuboya's victory is the second of the season for the ERC II Driver. In all, Kuboya used 11 Callaway Golf clubs at the Japan PGA Championship, including Steelhead(TM) X-14® Pro Series Irons and an Odyssey® TriHot(TM) 3 Putter. Six of the top 10 finishers at the event used Odyssey Putters.
Kuboya's victory using Callaway Golf's CTU 30 Red golf ball was the 11th win of the year for that ball model across the world's six major professional tours combined. The Callaway Golf ball victory was the second straight on the Japan Golf Tour, where the CTU 30 Red has now been used to win four of the six events this year. Last week, Nobuhito Sato won using the CTU 30 Red ball at the Fuji Sankei Classic.
Callaway Golf and the CTU 30 Red were also victorious on the LPGA Tour, where Janice Moodie used the CTU 30 Red ball to win the Asahi Ryokuken International. Moodie cruised to a seven-stroke victory, bettering the tournament scoring record by five strokes at 15-under-par 273. Three of the top four finishers at the event used Callaway Golf balls, including Callaway Golf Staff Professionals Annika Sorenstam (HX(TM) Red) and Rosie Jones (CTU 30 Red). Callaway Golf balls have now been used to win six of the nine LPGA Tour events played this year.
Callaway Golf is a strong second in both golf ball wins and usage across the PGA, Senior PGA, LPGA, Buy.com, PGA European and Japan Golf tours this year. The Company's golf balls have been used to win 19 events while accounting for 20.6 percent of all balls in play across the six major professional tours combined. A total of 197 tour professionals teed it up with Callaway Golf balls during the week ending May 19, 2002 -- marking one of the highest usage totals in Company history. Aside from Titleist, no other ball manufacturer had more than 67 balls in play during the week.
Callaway Golf was also a winner on the Senior PGA Tour, where the winner of the Instinet Classic used a Big Bertha Steelhead III Strong 3-wood. Callaway Golf fairway woods were once again, by far, the #1 choice among touring professionals, with 625 in play across the world's six major professional tours last week, compared with 350 for the nearest competitor. |
