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ERNIE ELS TRUSTS TITLEIST FROM TEE-TO-GREEN IN RECORD-SETTING SIXTH HSBC WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

Els Celebrates 35th Birthday by Topping Lee Westwood on 35th Hole of Final Match. Titleist Players Win Five Times Across Worldwide Professional Tours this Week.

Ernie Els

Fairhaven, MA (October 18, 2004) - Titleist ambassador Ernie Els celebrated his 35th birthday with a birdie on the 35th hole of the final match of the HSBC World Match Play Championship, topping Titleist Pro V1x golf ball loyalist Lee Westwood 2 and 1 for his record-setting 6th win in the event. It was the third straight victory of the event for Els, who also set a tournament record by playing in his 7th final in 11 years. The win was Els' 5th of the year and the 51st of his professional career, and guaranteed his second consecutive Volvo Order of Merit title as the PGA European Tour's annual money winner. Els already had won the Sony Open in Hawaii and The Memorial on the PGA Tour, the Heineken Classic on the PGA European Tour, as well as the WGC-American Express Championship in 2004.

In addition to relying upon the Pro V1x golf ball, Els played a Titleist Titanium driver, Titleist Pro Trajectory 980F 3-wood, Titleist Forged 670 irons, prototype Vokey Design wedges, and Scotty Cameron by Titleist putter. In addition to relying upon the Titleist Pro V1x golf ball, Els played a Titleist Titanium driver, Titleist Pro Trajectory 980F 3-wood, Titleist Forged 670 irons, prototype Vokey Design wedges, and Scotty Cameron by Titleist putter.

Inclusive of Els and Westwood's success, Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf ball players accounted for 14 of the 16 players in the select field.

ADDITIONAL TITLEIST HIGHLIGHTS FOR WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 17, 2004

PGA Tour: Titleist Pro V1 player Brent Geiberger shot a final round 6-under 66 to win the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro for his second career PGA Tour title. Geiberger posted an 18-under 270 total, two shots clear of runner-up and Pro V1x player Michael Allen and three shots ahead of Pro V1x player Chris Smith to give Titleist golf ball players a 1-2-3 finish. In fact, the Chrysler Classic leaderboard featured 14 Titleist golf ball players among the top 15 finishers. Titleist golf ball players have won 33 of the 45 events on 2004 PGA Tour, more than six times the nearest competitor with 5.

PLAYER
FINISH
GOLF BALL
BRENT GEIBERGER CHAMPION PRO V1
MICHAEL ALLEN 2ND PRO V1X
CHRIS SMITH 3RD PRO V1X
DAVID TOMS T4 PRO V1X
ARJUN ATWAL 6TH PRO V1X
TOM PERNICE JR. 7TH PRO V1X
JEFF BREHAUT T8 PRO V1X
BEN CRANE T8 PRO V1X
JASON DUFNER T8 PRO V1X
MATT GOGEL T8 PRO V1X
RICHARD JOHNSON T8 PRO V1X
JERRY KELLY T8 PRO V1X
JOE OGILVIE T8 PRO V1X
TED PURDY T8 PRO V1

Titleist Pro V1 player Ted Purdy posted two eagles on Sunday en route to the low round of the week at 8-under-par 64. Purdy jumped from T48 to T8 in making the biggest move of the final day into the top 10.

Runner-up Michael Allen posted his career-best finish thanks to a birdie on the 72nd hole that gave him solo 2nd, while fellow Pro V1x player Arjun Atwal secured his first career top-10 performance on the PGA Tour after posting a final round 6-under par 66.

PGA EUROPEAN TOUR: At the Mallorca Classic, the home country favorite relied upon the Titleist Pro V1x to fire a final round 3-under 67 to finish at 12-under 268, four shots clear of runner-up Simon Khan, who also trusted the Titleist Pro V1x for his success. It marked the third victory of the season and fifth career PGA European Tour title for the winner. In combination with Els' HSBC World Match Play win, Titleist's victory count on the PGA European Tour advanced to 21, more than four times the nearest competitor with 5.

NATIONWIDE TOUR: Titleist Pro V1 player Charley Hoffman converted a 15-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a three-way playoff to top Pro V1x loyalist Jeff Gove and another player at the Permian Basin Charity Golf Classic. All three players finished regulation at 6-under 282. It marked the first career victory for Hoffman who began the season with no status and gained tournament starts through Monday qualifiers. In addition to the Pro V1, Hoffman relies upon Titleist Forged 680 irons, Vokey Design pitching, sand and lob wedges and a Scotty Cameron by Titleist Red X putter. Titleist golf ball players have accounted for 22 wins on the Nationwide Tour this year, more than 5 times the nearest competitor with 4.

JAPAN TOUR: A Titleist Pro V1x golf ball player was the only competitor to shoot under par en route to a four-stroke victory at the Japan Open. The winner finished at 3-under to top Pro V1 player David Smail and two other golfers for the major championship victory. Titleist players have won 12 events on the 2004 Japan Tour, four times the nearest competitor with 3. Titleist was the top golf ball choice of the field with 50 players.

2004 VICTORY COUNT: Five more victories this week across the 2004 worldwide professional tours advanced Titleist's worldwide win count to 140, over 100 more than the nearest competitor with 36.

DIRECT FROM THE TOUR: To view exclusive interviews with Chrysler Classic of Greensboro winner Brent Geiberger, as well as Titleist players from every PGA Tour event, visit our Direct from the Tour feature online at www.titleist.com.

Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra comprise the major golf brands of the Acushnet Company, an operating company of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE - FO). Titleist, Cobra, FootJoy, Pro V1, Pro V1x, Titleist Titanium, Titleist Pro Trajectory, Titleist Forged, Vokey Design and Scotty Cameron by Titleist are trademarks owned or licensed by Acushnet Company. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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