Bettinardi brand taken to the next level in 2018

According to its founder, the premium Bettinardi putter brand has been taken to a new level this year - thanks to a record collection of wins on the European, PGA, and LPGA Tours.

Robert Bettinardi, the master craftsman of putters, has overseen a total of 10 victories this season, plus numerous top-10 finishes across four elite professional Tours, earning its brand ambassadors more than $15million in prize money.

No player benefitted more from his Bettinardi putter than Francesco Molinari, winner of the Claret Jug in July who capped off his record year yesterday after being crowned Europe's No.1 player at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. The Italian’s success was backed up by standout performances from another new signing for 2018, China’s top ranked player Haotong Li, plus long-term brand ambassadors Matt Kuchar and Fred Couples.

“The investment we made in Tour players at the start of the year has been validated with Bettinardi being the putter brand on everybody’s lips,” said Robert, who founded the brand nearly 20 years ago. “We sat down as a team around this time last year and said we really wanted to make an impact on all Tours and we couldn’t have wished for a better outcome.

“We work incredibly closely with our Tour department to ensure that our players have the best putter to suit their game week in, week out. We invited Francesco to our factory just outside of Chicago following his Open Championship victory as we wanted to show our appreciation to him and what it means to have him as a brand ambassador. We’re delighted that he secured the Race to Dubai title, as he’s been the best player on the European Tour this year and made an important breakthrough in the States too,” he added.

Using a custom DASS BBZero model, Francesco won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May and shortly after claimed his first PGA Tour victory at the Quicken Loans National in June, before his first Major title at Carnoustie. The glory didn’t stop there though for the World Number Six as the Italian became the first-ever player to win five-out-of-five matches at the Ryder Cup in September.

Win number ten for the brand came this weekend at the LPGA's season-ending CME Group Tour Championship using a Tour Dept.Queen B #6 with a special PVD finish and triple sight line.

The eye-catching Queen B #6 putter is back in the Bettinardi line-up for 2019. For the player seeking an elegant crossover between a blade and mallet, the QB6 features soft carbon steel head features a high toe topline, wide body and flange, plus a newly crafted offset shaft for ideal balance and superior visualisation at address.

Kuchar was back in the winner’s circle recently by claiming the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico, using the ever-reliable ArmLock method (Tour Dept. DASS KM-Model) created with Robert in 2011. Haotong Li has also recorded his best-ever season that’s seen him jump into the world’s top-40 for the first time. Using a custom Studio Stock 3 Tour Edition putter, he won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in January, before switching to his custom Tour Soft Carbon BBZero and registering four top-10 finishes in his last six starts to end 9^th in the Race to Dubai rankings.

Other Bettinardi victories on the European Tour this year included the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in February, with the same player and his Studio Stock #8 putter also winning the British Masters in October. Two more victories have come on the Mackenzie Tour (PGA Canadian Tour).

Since the brand was established in 1998, Bettinardi putters have secured more than 80 victories around the world across all professional Tours.

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