CARLSBAD, Calif. – Feb. 24, 2005 – Callaway Golf (NYSE:ELY) Staff Professional Thongchai Jaidee successfully defended his Carlsberg Malaysian Open title with a 21-under-par 267 performance last week, marking the fourth consecutive victory on the European PGA Tour by a Callaway Golf staff professional. In addition, three of the top five finishers were Callaway Golf staff professionals.
Jaidee, a former paratrooper in his native Thailand, used a bag full of Callaway Golf equipment, including a prototype Fusion Driver, Big Bertha Strong-4-wood, X-18 Pro Series Irons, an Odyssey TriForce Putter, and the prototype HX Tour 56 Golf Ball -- the same model fellow Callaway Golf staffer Phil Mickelson has used to shoot the three lowest rounds of his career and win three events, all in the last three months.
Jaidee's irons, the new X-18 Pro Series Irons, are the successors to the popular X-16 Pro Series Irons and feature the same patented core technologies that have made the Callaway Golf brand the perennial market leader: S2H2, Tru-Bore Technology, and Variable Face Thickness (VFT).
Extreme Notch Weighting, a visible proprietary feature that raises each iron's Moment of Inertia (MOI) for increased stability and better results on off-center hits, combines with a deeper 360-degree Undercut Channel to achieve new heights of forgiveness. Last year Jaidee became the first Thai golfer to win on the PGA European Tour.
This year, he took a six-shot lead into the final round and added a two-under-par 70 on Sunday to win easily. The victory, the seventh of his career, moved Jaidee into fifth place on the European Tour Order of Merit.
Callaway Golf staffers continue to dominate the top spots on the Order of Merit, with Niclas Fasth (1), Charl Schwartzel (2), Nick Dougherty (3), and Thomas Bjorn (4).
Jaidee's victory marked the first time since such records began being kept by Sports Marketing Surveys in 1995 that pros representing the same manufacturer have won four straight tournaments.
Callaway Golf staffers have now won five of the last six events on the PGA European Tour, with Jaidee's win coming on the heels of victories by Dougherty in Singapore three weeks ago, Craig Parry two weeks ago in Australia, and Fasth last week in New Zealand. The prototype HX Tour 56 Golf Ball and prototype Fusion Driver used by Jaidee and other Callaway Golf staffers will be available at retail by Summer 2005.
Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha Metal Woods, Irons and Hybrids including Heavenwood Hybrids, ERC Fusion Drivers and Fairway Woods, Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Drivers, Big Bertha Titanium 454 Drivers and Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Heavenwood Hybrids, Big Bertha Stainless Steel Irons, X-18 and X-18 Pro Series Irons, the Game Enjoyment System of GES Golf Clubs, Callaway Golf Forged+ Wedges, and Callaway Golf Tour Blue Putters.
Callaway Golf Company also makes and sells Odyssey Putters, including White Steel, White Hot, TriHot, DFX, Dual Force and 2-Ball Putters, Golf HX Tour Balls, HX Blue and HX Red Balls, HX Hot Balls, Big Bertha Blue and Big Bertha Red Balls, and the Warbird Balls.
Callaway Golf also owns and operates The Top-Flite Golf Company, a wholly owned subsidiary that includes the Top-Flite, Strata and Ben Hogan brands and Bettinardi Putters.
Contact:
Callaway Golf Company
Larry Dorman/Mike Galeski
760-931-1771
www.callawaygolf.com
Source: Callaway Golf Company
