Callaway Golf Staff Pro Michael Campbell Wins U.S. Open! Uses New Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 Driver, X-Tour Irons, HX Tour Golf Ball and Odyssey Putter to Capture His First Major

Press Release

Posted 2005-06-24

With a crushing combination of booming drives, laser-like iron shots and clutch putting, Callaway Golf (NYSE:ELY) Staff Professional Michael Campbell held off a late charge by Tiger Woods to win the United States Open Golf Championship yesterday at historic Pinehurst Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C. Campbell, 36, playing with a bag full of Callaway Golf(R) clubs, an Odyssey(R) putter and a Callaway Golf HX(R) Tour golf ball, shot a final round 69 for a total of even-par 280 and a two-stroke victory.

"Finally!" exclaimed the emotional New Zealander, holding aloft the silver trophy bearing the names of all the past U.S. Open winners. "Finally, a major in the bag."

The clubs in the bag that helped Campbell win his first major: the new FT-3(TM) Driver, which Callaway Golf will launch at authorized retail stores and pro shops on July 4; a Callaway Golf Steelhead(R) 3-wood; Big Bertha(R) 3H Heavenwood(R) Hybrid; new X-Tour(TM) Irons; the HX Tour Golf Ball and an Odyssey #6 White Hot(R) putter. Campbell averaged 294 yards off the tee for the week, hitting 64 percent of the narrow ribbons of fairway at Pinehurst, finishing in the top 10 in driving accuracy and giving the spectacular new FT-3 Driver its 10th victory just before its official launch date.

"We congratulate Michael on his tremendous performance," said Callaway Golf Chairman and CEO William C. Baker. "As the first New Zealander since 1963 to win a major championship, he certainly has made his country proud, and he also has made every one of the more than 2,000 Callaway Golf employees around the world very proud. This is a great validation of our commitment to creating products that make every golfer a better golfer, and we truly are honored to be a part of this historic victory."

Campbell displayed remarkable focus and precision shot making as he clung to his lead in the face of a barrage of late birdies by Woods. He birdied the 10th hole with a 25-foot putt to answer his competitor's birdie at the 11th and stuffed a 6-iron shot within eight feet of the hole at the 14th after Tiger triggered a huge roar from the crowd with a shot into the 15th hole that had stopped five feet away. And immediately after Woods made his last-gasp birdie at the 18th to cut the lead to two, Campbell answered with a 22-footer for birdie at 17 to give himself a 3-shot cushion with one hole left.

"I just kept telling myself every hole, 'focus, focus, focus,'" Campbell said. "And it worked. This new FT-3 Driver has also made a big difference. I had so much adrenaline today, I was hitting it a mile. The combination of a good driver, good irons, playing well and having a bit of confidence have made my stats and my game improve ten-fold."

Michael Campbell used that combination to solve the most difficult U.S. Open setup in years, to hold off golf's most celebrated player and to make some history of his own. He began the week as a long-shot qualifier who had secured his position in the field by finishing 39th in a Qualifying event at Walton Heath in England and he finished it as the winner of the 105th U.S. Open, his face reflected in the silver of the tournament trophy.

"This is something I've dreamed of since I was a kid," Campbell said. "It's hard to believe it's actually happened."

Through an unwavering commitment to innovation, Callaway Golf creates products and services designed to make every golfer a better golfer. Callaway Golf Company manufactures and sells golf clubs and golf balls, and sells golf accessories, under the Callaway Golf(R), Top-Flite(R), Odyssey(R) and Ben Hogan(R) brands. For more information visit www.callawaygolf.com.