Rich Beem Wins the PGA With CTU 30 Red

Rich Beem Wins the PGA With CTU 30 Red
Press Release

Callaway Golf saw the 2002 major championship season end yesterday as it began - with a major win for one of the Company’s golf balls. Callaway Golf Ball Staff Professional Rich Beem scored a dramatic victory at the PGA Championship using the CTU 30 golf ball, marking the fifth major championship won in 2002 by a player using Callaway Golf balls. No other ball manufacturer compiled more than three victories in the 12 major championships contested across the PGA, Senior PGA and LPGA tours this year. Callaway Golf is also the only ball manufacturer to record major championship wins on each of those three tours in 2002.

Beem was one of five golfers to post a top-10 finish at the PGA Championship using golf balls made by Callaway Golf. Callaway Golf Ball Staff Professionals Fred Funk and Mark Calcavecchia finished fourth and seventh, respectively, using the HX Red golf ball. Callaway Golf Staff Professionals Rocco Mediate and Pierre Fulke joined Funk and Calcavecchia in the top 10. Mediate used the CTU 30 Red golf ball, while Fulke finished tied for 10th using the CTU 30 Blue golf ball. Callaway Golf balls have now been used to win four times on the PGA Tour this season, and 39 times overall across the PGA, Senior PGA, LPGA, Buy.com, PGA European and Japan Golf tours combined.

Callaway Golf balls were used to win the season’s first major, as Annika Sorenstam won the Nabisco Championship with the HX Red golf ball. The Company’s golf balls were subsequently used to win three of the four senior majors, as Jim Thorpe won The Tradition with CTU 30 Red, Don Pooley won the U.S. Senior Open with HX Red and Stewart Ginn won the Ford Senior Players Championship with CTU 30 Red. Beem’s one-stroke victory over Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship with CTU 30 Red provided a fitting conclusion to the year’s schedule of major championships.

Beem turned in a stellar performance from tee to green at Hazeltine National using the CTU 30 Red golf ball. He was among the PGA Championship leaders in driving distance average at 292.9 yards while leading the field in putting at just 26.75 putts per round. This is Beem’s second win in his last two starts, following his victory at The International two weeks ago. The first-time major championship winner also wore a Callaway Golf Pro Series Glove with X-SPANN technology.

Mediate was one of 13 golfers to put Callaway Golf’s new prototype driver in play at the PGA Championship. Mediate averaged 285.5 yards in driving distance at the event using the new driver, which has been in play on the PGA Tour for just two weeks. Mediate used a total of 13 Callaway Golf clubs at the PGA Championship, including Steelhead X-14 Irons and three of the new Callaway Golf Forged Wedges.

The PGA Championship was part of a winning weekend for Callaway Golf clubs and balls around the world. Callaway Golf Staff Professional Annika Sorenstam won the Compaq Open in Sweden by five strokes, giving her eight victories this year. Sorenstam now leads the order of merit on the Ladies European Tour in addition to leading the LPGA Tour in victories and money won in 2002. Sorenstam used the HX Red golf ball and 11 Callaway Golf clubs at the Compaq Open, including a Big Bertha C4 Driver, Steelhead X-14 Irons and an Odyssey White Hot “2-Ball” Putter. The winner of the PGA European Tour’s North West of Ireland Open also used an Odyssey White Hot “2-Ball” Putter, bringing Odyssey Golf’s putter win total to 57 across the world’s six major professional tours combined this year.