Callaway Golf Staff Pro Bruce Fleisher Wins Royal Caribbean Classic; Uses Great Big Bertha II Titanium Driver and HX Tour Golf Ball to Conquer Windy Conditions at Key Biscayne

Press Release

Posted 2004-02-11

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2004--Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) Staff Professional Bruce Fleisher battled gusty conditions yesterday to win the first full-field Champions Tour event of the season at the Royal Caribbean Golf Classic in Key Biscayne, Florida. The 55-year-old Fleisher used his Great Big Bertha(R) II Pro Series Titanium Driver and HX(R) Tour Golf Ball from Callaway Golf to power through winds up to 25 mph at Crandon Park Golf Club. He birdied his final hole on Sunday to post a final-round 1-under 71 and finish the tournament at 6-under-par 210.

"With the conditions as windy as they were, it's a good thing I was using the HX Tour ball," Fleisher said. "The superior aerodynamics of the HX Tour ball really helped me control my shots into some hard pin positions on firm greens. The ball was a key, that's for sure."

Fleisher collected eight consecutive pars on the back nine, then calmly sealed his one-stroke victory by dropping a 6-footer for birdie with his Odyssey(R) White Hot(R) #5 Putter. Using good course management and the advanced aerodynamics of the new HX Tour Golf Ball, Fleisher was the only player to post three straight sub-par rounds under the most demanding of conditions -- his 6-under-par total of 210 is the highest winning score in tournament history; surpassing the previous high of 209 in 1995. The victory was Fleisher's 17th since joining Callaway Golf and the Champions Tour in 1999. He is now the only three-time winner of the Royal Caribbean Golf Classic, which he also won in 1999 and 2000.

The new HX Tour Golf Ball has 3-piece construction and advanced aerodynamic performance designed to consistently perform under every possible condition. The proprietary HEX Aerodynamic cover features a pattern of pentagons and hexagons that produces more efficient airflow for exceptional stability in winds like those Fleisher played through on Sunday.

In all, Fleisher used 14 Callaway Golf(R) clubs in his Champions Tour win, including the Great Big Bertha II Pro Series Titanium Driver, a Big Bertha(R) Steelhead III 4+-Wood, the new Big Bertha Stainless Steel Irons, Callaway Golf Forged+ Wedges, an Odyssey White Hot #5 Putter, and the HX Tour Golf Ball. Three of the top-10 finishers and ties at the Royal Caribbean Golf Classic used Callaway Golf driver technology, including the Great Big Bertha II Pro Series and the new ERC(R) Fusion(R) Driver. Seven of the top-10 finishers and ties used putter technology from the Callaway Golf family of brands, including Callaway Golf, Odyssey and Bettinardi(R) brands.

On the PGA Tour at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, three of the top-10 finishers and ties had a Callaway Golf driver in their bag, including the ERC Fusion Driver and the Great Big Bertha II 415 Driver. Four top-10 finishers and ties used Callaway Golf Driver technology on the Nationwide Tour at the BellSouth Panama Championship, and two of the top-10 finishers and ties at the European PGA Tour's Heineken Classic used Callaway Golf drivers.

This was the second consecutive week in 2004 that Callaway Golf's Great Big Bertha II Pro Series Titanium Driver was the choice of a winner on the world's major professional tours. The winner of the FBR Open used his Great Big Bertha II Pro Series Driver last week to claim victory on the PGA Tour.

Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha(R) Metal Woods and Irons, including ERC(R) Fusion(R) Drivers and Fairway Woods, Great Big Bertha(R) II Titanium Drivers and Fairway Woods, Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Drivers, Big Bertha Titanium Drivers and Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods, Hawk Eye(R) VFT(R) Tungsten Injected(TM) Titanium Irons, Big Bertha Stainless Steel Irons, Steelhead X-16(R) and Steelhead X-16 Pro Series Stainless Steel Irons, the Game Enjoyment System(TM) of GES(TM) Golf Clubs, Callaway Golf Forged+ Wedges and Callaway Golf Forged Wedges, and Callaway Golf Tour Blue(TM) Putters. Callaway Golf Company also makes and sells Odyssey(R) Putters, including White Hot(R), TriHot(R), DFX(R), Dual Force(R) and 2-Ball Putters. Callaway Golf Company makes and sells the Callaway Golf(R) HX(R) Tour balls, HX Blue and HX Red balls, Big Bertha(TM) Blue and Big Bertha Red balls, and the Warbird(TM) balls. Callaway Golf also owns and operates The Top-Flite Golf Company, a wholly owned subsidiary that includes the Top-Flite(R), Strata(R) and Ben Hogan(R) brands. For more information about Callaway Golf Company, please visit our websites at www.callawaygolf.com, www.topflite.com and www.odysseygolf.com.