Covington, GA — Bridgestone Golf, headquartered outside Atlanta, GA, announced today that it has added hometown hero Charles Howell III to its stable of PGA TOUR players. As part of the deal, the 2-time PGA TOUR winner and Augusta, Georgia native will play Bridgestone balls and clubs, wear a Bridgestone Golf glove, sport the Bridgestone Golf logo on his headwear and left chest of his shirt and carry a Bridgestone Golf Tour bag in all professional tournaments in 2008.

Howell is expected to play the new TOUR B330-S golf ball and Bridgestones new line of irons, which has not yet been unveiled to the public, in all professional competition. Howell expects to have the Bridgestone gear in play by the 2008 Mercedes-Benz Championship.

"This is an exciting day in the history of the Bridgestone Golf brand," said Hisashi Kawano, the president of Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd. "There are only a handful of players out there with the star power of Charles and that combined with his being from Georgia, is a great fit for Bridgestone. We are eager to see what happens next season when golfs #1 technology company joins forces with one of the games most talented young stars."