Winner Uses White Steel 2-Ball SRT Putter to Secure First PGA Tour Victory
CARLSBAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 10, 2006–The winner of yesterday’s Cialis Western Open used the new White Steel(R) 2-Ball SRT(TM) Putter from Odyssey, a brand of the Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:ELY), to sink a clutch 32-foot putt on the 72nd hole and win his first PGA Tour event. The victor, who owns four European PGA Tour titles, birdied three of the final four holes at Cog Hill’s Dubsdread course in Lemont, Illinois, to shoot a final-round 4-under-par 67. He finished at 13-under-par 271, to win by two strokes.
Since switching to an Odyssey putter in April after missing four straight cuts, the 26-year-old South African has four top 10 finishes in eight PGA Tour events, a stretch that includes consecutive runner-up finishes at the Wachovia Championship (where he lost in a playoff to a player wielding another Odyssey putter), and the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Since making the change, his lone finish outside the top 20 was a T21 at the U.S. Open and he is 9 for 9 in top 25 finishes worldwide.
One of the runners-up at Cog Hill also had an Odyssey putter in his bag, a White Hot(R) 2-Ball Blade. In all, four of the top nine finishers used Odyssey putters.
"Obviously to hole that putt on the last was just…it gives me goosebumps thinking about it," said the winner of the final putt on the 72nd hole. "It was such a tricky putt…there was probably three yards of break on that. Somehow it just managed to go in."
Meanwhile, the winner of the LPGA Tour’s HSBC World Match Play Championship used a 10-degree Big Bertha(R) Fusion FT-3 Driver to record her first professional victory. She currently ranks second in driving distance on the Tour. Equipment from the Callaway Golf family of brands was used by each of the World Match Play Championship’s top three finishers: the runner up used X-Tour(TM) Irons, a pair of Callaway Golf fairway woods and a White Hot(R) 2-Ball Putter, while the third-place finisher, the Tour’s 2006 money leader, also relied on an Odyssey putter as well as the new HX(R) Tour Golf Ball.
Tour results are through the week ending 07/09/06 and reflect data from the PGA and LPGA Tours. Source: Darrell Survey. 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.
Contact:
Callaway Golf Company
Larry Dorman
(760) 931-1771
