Callaway Founder Ely Callaway and Orlimar CEO Jesse
Ortiz were interviewed by Mark Hyman of BUSINESS WEEK.
Ortiz, on why Callaway filed suit against Orlimar claiming
misleading advertising: "I certainly believe right now they
are very serious about destroying my company." More Ortiz,
on whether he would have exposed Callaway endorser Paul
Stankowski for playing Ping irons during the MasterCard
Colonial in May: "Blowing the whistle on a pro would've put
us in a very bad light with the other players" (BUSINESS
WEEK, 6/21 issue). GOLF MAGAZINE's Mike Purkey asks, "Does
it really matter to you if a Tour player's bag contains the
brand of club he advertises?" Callaway: "Nearly everybody
who watches golf on television or is in the gallery has an
interest in what equipment players are using. That's why we
are all out there with our trademarks and logos." But Ortiz
said the "days of having staff players where you can talk
them into 10 or 11 clubs in the bag are gone. ... The best
players in the world want ... flexibility" (GOLF, 7/99).
A MID-SIZE CADDY? GOLFWORLD's Geoff Russell reports
that Cadillac, the "main corporate sponsor" of ESPN's
coverage of the Senior PGA Tour, "will downsize its support"
from 23 events to "as few as" 15 when its current deal
expires after the 2000 season (GOLFWORLD, 6/11 issue).
