Ranks 1st in Total Putts and Putts Per GIR in first ever PGA Tour victory

SuperStroke Golf staff member Matt Bettencourt earned his first ever victory on the PGA Tour at the Reno-Tahoe Open Sunday.

Led by an impressive display of putting, the former #1 ranking Nationwide Tour player used his oversized SuperStroke putter grip to perfection at the Reno-Tahoe event leading all players in Putts Per Round average and Putts Per GIR. Bettencourt finished the event with an amazing 25.8 putts per round average, featuring two rounds of only 24 putts.

Bettencourt now ranks 4th on the PGA Tour in Putts Per Round average for the season with an average of 28.09 per event.

His final score of 277 (-11) earned him the largest paycheck of his career at $540,000. Bettencourt turned pro in 2001 and bounced between the Nationwide Tour, Canadian Tour and Tarheel Tour searching for a breakthrough in his game. He found his answer when he started using a SuperStroke grip in 2008 on the Nationwide Tour. He was ranked 90th on the money list when he made the switch and went on to finish the year with two victories and three Top 10 finishes. His victory at the Nationwide Tour Championship propelled him to end the year #1 on the final official money list.

“I went from around 150 to the top 50 in putting,” said Bettencourt. “It’s made all the difference in the world for me. It’s taken my hands out of it. I got really back and forth with the belly putter. But with this SuperStroke Grip, it’s been fantastic. It really changed my game.”

Since graduating to the PGA Tour, Bettencourt has earned 4 top 25 finishes with the jumbo grip, including a Top 10 at the 2009 US Open and a T5th at the 2009 Memorial tournament. He has used the new Fatso model since the 2009 Byron Nelson Championship.

With the victory, Bettencourt earned 250 FedExCup points and jumped from 185th to 114th in the FedEx point standings. The win ensures PGA Tour exemption for Bettencourt until the end of the 2012 season. He also earns an invitation to the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits next month.
“I mean this win is just incredible for me,” said Bettencourt. “(It) gives me so many opportunities. You know, I’ve been struggling all year, but I never lost my wavering belief in my ability. And you know, now, I got an opportunity to make the playoffs, which is a really big thing. I have security for the next couple of years, which is all you can ask for. And I’m going to start at the SBS Champions in Maui next year, which, wow, it’s going to be pretty cool. I’m just going to ride this momentum and keep having fun and see how long I can play this year, so when I can make it into the playoffs like I did last year, and I believe in my ability, and I think I can go out there and win next week, too. I’m just really confident right now.”
The victory is the 8th on the PGA and Nationwide Tour for SuperStroke and parent company Tiger Shark Golf, further expanding their title as the winningest jumbo putter grip company and the #1 jumbo putter grips on the PGA Tour.

About the Fatso Grip

The Fatso grip, which measures 1.67 inches in diameter, is designed to take the wrists out of the putting stroke and relieve tension in the hands. Weighing in at 85 grams, the SuperStroke Fatso Lite is the biggest and lightest of its kind in terms of weight to size ratio. SuperStroke has been at the forefront of the jumbo grip phenomenon, a market that grew over 25% last year. Over 70 PGA Tour pros have put SuperStroke technology into play over the last three seasons. Jumbo grips enhance a pendulum stroke, and they are also proven to keep the putter head square. Other benefits include natural balance and set up, less putter head rotation, improved ball roll and greater distance control.

About Tiger Shark Golf

Tiger Shark Golf offers a variety of golf equipment with a specialty in grips, putters, complete sets, drivers, wedges and hybrids. Tiger Shark has more than 1,600 accounts across the U.S. and Canada including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Edwin Watts, Golfsmith, GolfTown, Roger Dunn, PGA Tour Superstores, Golf Headquarters, Carl’s Golfland and TGW.com. For more information about Tiger Shark or SuperStroke, call 1-800-667-0181 or visit www.tigersharkgolf.com or www.superstrokegrip.com.
 
Media Contact: Jon Claffey – jclaffey@golfassetsllc.com

A 15-year-old prodigy that recently turned pro on the LPGA Tour finished tied for 10th at the U.S. Women’s Open with a SuperStroke Slim jumbo putter grip.

The player, who turned pro three weeks ago at the Shoprite Classic, battled the rough and tough Oakmont Course to bring home a Top 10 finish and $72,131 in her first ever paycheck as a professional golfer. Using a jumbo putter grip to help her wrists from breaking down during the putting stroke, the superstar in the making finished with 130 total putts, ranking her in the Top 30 for Putts Per Round at the major event.

SuperStroke, a division of Tiger Shark Golf, has been put into play by over 70 PGA and Nationwide Tour players and counting, and recently began offering their new Fatso and Slim grips to LPGA Tour players.

“Our patented big grips are being adopted by the next generation of professional golfers,” said Tiger Shark President Dean Dingman. “They have seen all of the pros on the PGA Tour successfully use the bigger grips to lower their putting stats and they are looking for an edge. We have had a significant boost in usage on the Nationwide Tour this year, and now we have the top young star on the LPGA playing our grip. These players will only put equipment into play if it will allow them to take their games to the next level, and that’s really what we offer with our technology. I think that’s why we are becoming so popular with the new generation of golfers.”

The player started testing with the SuperStroke Slim in the weeks leading up to the event.

“It definitely means a lot to me making my first cut [as a professional] at the U.S. Open,'’ said the player who has an older brother on the PGA Tour.

The young American golfer dominated amateur women’s golf the past three years, and was the youngest professional player to ever qualify for the US Women’s Open at age 12. She is also the youngest player to win the United States Girls’ Junior Golf Championship. She was the #1 ranked amateur and junior player in the world and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open in each of the past two years. In 2009, she made the cut at the Open, and finished 34th.

“I thought my game was ready and I wanted to take it to the next level,” she said. “I think if I relax and play my own game, I’ll play really well out there.”

About Tiger Shark Golf

With the acquisition of SuperStroke grips in 2009, Tiger Shark became the predominant oversized putter grip company in golf. In addition to selling over a million of their original UltraTac oversized putter grips, Tiger Shark is the winningest jumbo putter grip company in the history of the PGA Tours with 7 wins.

Tiger Shark Golf offers a variety of golf equipment with a specialty in grips, putters, complete sets, drivers, wedges and hybrids. Tiger Shark has more than 1,600 accounts across the U.S. and Canada including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Edwin Watts, Golfsmith, GolfTown, Roger Dunn, PGA Tour Superstores, Golf Headquarters, Carl’s Golfland and TGW.com. For more information about Tiger Shark or SuperStroke, call 1-800-667-0181 or visit www.tigersharkgolf.com or www.superstrokegrip.com.

A SuperStroke Fatso grip was used by a former major champion this week at his Champions Tour debut, helping the player to a Top 10 finish. The player, a 13-time PGA Tour winner and winner of the 1989 British Open, finished in a tie for sixth at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, his 12-under 204 total three shots behind the tournament winner.

In the three rounds of play, the player, who turned 50 on June 12th, had only one bogey.

“Overall, it was a good start,” said the player. “It was nice getting my feet wet out here, seeing everybody and getting that all over with. Now I can show up at tournaments and feel like I’m part of the group.”

The 4 time U.S. Ryder Cup team member started the event with only 25 putts and maintained an average of 28.3 Putts Per Round for the event, ranking him T21 in that category.

“I didn’t miss any short putts this week, which was nice.”

He started using the jumbo grip by SuperStroke, a division of Tiger Shark Golf, at the Memorial Tournament this year and it has been in the bag ever since.

“I put one of those big ass grips on my putter, said the player. “It’s about this big. My hands barely fit around it, so I’m like - trying that. I’m putting good right now. The grips called the Fatso, by the way, so I thought it was aptly named. But it’s big. K.J. Choi’s been using one for a while.”

About Tiger Shark Golf

Tiger Shark Golf offers a variety of golf equipment with a specialty in grips, putters, complete sets, drivers, wedges and hybrids. For more information about Tiger Shark or SuperStroke, call 1-800-667-0181 or visit www.tigerhsharkgolf.com or www.superstrokegrip.com.
With the acquisition of SuperStroke grips in 2009, Tiger Shark became the predominant oversized putter grip company in golf. In addition to selling over a million of their original UltraTac oversized putter grips, Tiger Shark is the winningest jumbo putter grip company in the history of the PGA Tours with 7 wins. Tiger Shark has more than 1,600 accounts across the U.S. and Canada including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Edwin Watts, Golfsmith, GolfTown, Roger Dunn, PGA Tour Superstores, Golf Headquarters, Carl’s Golfland and TGW.com.

Tiger Shark Golf ranked as the #1 Jumbo Putter Grip at the US Open at Pebble Beach with four of their oversized putter grips in play at the major championship. Three SuperStroke Fatso grips and one Tiger Shark UltraTac Jumbo grip were in put play, with three of the four players making the cut and one finishing in the Top 25.

On the Nationwide Tour, a player using a SuperStroke Slim jumbo grip ranked #1 in Total Putts with an average of 26 Putts Per Round. He also ranked 8th in Putts Per GIR to help him to a T13 finish at the Fort Smith Classic. The player is back on the PGA Tour this week at the Travelers Championship.

“It was another great major for Tiger Shark and SuperStroke grips,” said President of Tiger Shark Dean Dingman. “We had a significant amount of coverage on Thursday and Friday with Matt Bettencourt and KJ Choi sinking long, tough putts and a past major champion finished in the Top 25 with the UltraTac grip. It looks as if we will have around 5-6 jumbo grips in play at the Travelers Championship this week.”

SuperStroke, a specialized division of Tiger Shark Golf, features a patented non-taper technology designed to reduce wrist breaks and enhance a pendulum stroke. These jumbo grips that have become a phenomenon on the professional tours are also proven to reduce grip pressure and keep the putter head square. Extensive testing has shown that the SuperStroke requires up to 32% less grip tension and represents a significant improvement over conventional putter grips.

About Tiger Shark Golf
With the acquisition of SuperStroke grips in 2009, Tiger Shark became the predominant oversized putter grip company in golf. In addition to selling over a million of their original UltraTac oversized putter grips, Tiger Shark is the winningest jumbo putter grip company in the history of the PGA Tours with 7 wins. Tiger Shark has more than 1,600 accounts across the U.S. and Canada including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Edwin Watts, Golfsmith, GolfTown, Roger Dunn, PGA Tour Superstores, Golf Headquarters, Carl’s Golfland and TGW.com.

Tiger Shark Golf offers a variety of golf equipment with a specialty in grips, putters, complete sets, drivers, wedges and hybrids. For more information about Tiger Shark or SuperStroke, call 1-800-667-0181 or visit www.tigerhsharkgolf.com or www.superstrokegrip.com.

By Jennifer Gardner
GPA Equipment Editor

Mark Calcavecchia is looking forward to the Champions Tour, where he makes his debut at the end of this month. He’s also looking forward to putting better with a new, oversized grip.

“I put one of those big ass grips on my putter,” said Calcavecchia at the Memorial. “My hands barely fit around it, so I’m like … trying that. I don’t know. I’m putting good right now.”

The grip, called the Fatso from SuperStroke, is 1.67 inches in diameter and about three times bigger than a traditional grip. The goal of using an oversized grip is to steady the hands and improve the stroke. K.J. Choi made the oversized grip popular more than three years ago, and since then, about 50 PGA Tour pros have experimented with some type of larger grip.