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Maintaining Course

Part two of two: Yesterday – after a long weather delay – D.A. Points held on to overcome charges by better-known Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson and win the Shell Houston Open. This was the 36-year-old journeyman’s second career victory on the PGA Tour. Two years ago, the University of Illinois graduate captured the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

While life on the Tour appears to be all glamour, the truth is it’s a grind. Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy finished playing late Friday. On Saturday, my son and I arrived at Redstone Golf Club as the sun was peaking over the horizon. The practice and putting greens were filled with ‘fellow competitors.’ Phil and Rory – who barely made the cut – walked up within a few minutes, stretched, then started hitting wedges and slowly working through their bags until finishing with a few drives, some putts, and heading to the first hole. Then it was four hours of intense concentration, media interviews, a break for lunch and back to the practice tee.

In reality, the two stars utilized this tournament as a warm-up for The Masters in two weeks. Points, on the other hand, needs to make every dollar he can. It’s been a long road. He tried and failed four times to earn his playing card. In 2005, he finally made it through the torturous qualifying school, then missed the cut in 17 of 32 tournaments. In professional golf, you only get paid when you play on the weekends. Otherwise you go home… and incur all the expenses.

Points lost his card, failed to qualify twice more before making it back in 2009. While he still missed 46 cuts in 103 tournaments through 2012, his official winnings peaked at $2,000,000 in 2011, thanks to the victory at Pebble Beach. This year he was off to a rough start, missing cuts in seven of nine tournaments before breaking through here in Houston.

While being a golf star brings with it millions of dollars, the majority of players struggle to remain among the top 125 money winners each year and keep their playing privileges. To steal a line from the film Trading Places, the PGA Tour is “the last bastion of real pure capitalism on earth.” To survive takes skill, athleticism, stamina, discipline and mental toughness. Spend a day on the course watching even unknown players and you’ll be impressed. You’ll also want to encourage your kids to have Plan B.

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Lifetime Earnings

Part one of two: They appear on your TV every week from January through October – traversing the nation from Hawai’i, to California, to Florida and many stops in between. You might only pay attention to them four times each year, when the best from around the globe compete on the toughest courses to determine who among them handles pressure the best.

Players on the PGA Tour lead an enchanted life: making millions from prize money and endorsements. In 1995 – the year before a young Tiger Woods turned pro – Payne Stewart won the Shell Houston Open and received $252,000. The person who lifts the trophy later today will take home $1.1 million. Adjusted for inflation, Stewart’s winning would be $379,000, so the ‘Tiger Effect’ made everyone richer.

Current phenom – and heartthrob of young girls everywhere – Rory McIlroy turns 24 in May. He already has two major championship wins. In 2012, between the US and European tours, he pocketed $15 million in winnings. Of course, that pales in comparison to the contract he signed in January with Nike. Reports estimate the world’s best known brand will pay the world’s best known youngster $200 million over the next decade. That’s a lot of money for wearing the swoosh on your hat and shoes.

If you have a young son start him off playing soccer. The foot coordination is considered a great foundation for athletic success. Then when he turns seven steer him away from team sports. Introduce him to your local PGA Professional instead. The career of a pro football player averages four years. Pro golfers spend 30 years making outlandish money and segue to the Champions Tour at age 50. Bob Tway finished 44th on that money list last year and pocketed $300,000 in winnings. Not a bad retirement income.

Have a newborn daughter or granddaughter? Even better. Many college golf scholarships for women go unfulfilled. If yours happens to be talented, the future is bright. The leading players on the LPGA Tour earn just as much as the seniors. So get started hitting buckets of balls. There are years of practice ahead for your child to earn her playing card.

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Envelope Please

As a child, I watched the Academy Awards every year with my parents. Back when there were four TV channels, it was a big treat to stay up late and see the stars in all their splendor. I recall George C. Scott and Marlon Brando refusing to accept Best Actor Oscars for their performances in Patton and The Godfather. I remember Bob Hope returning after a 10-year absence to host the 50th ceremony and Johnny Carson doing an outstanding job hosting five times from 1978-1983.

The tradition continues with my family. Kathy and I always have enjoyed watching during our nearly quarter century of marriage. Our eldest daughter is a big film buff – and since she boomeranged home after graduating from college, we had the pleasure of watching the 85th edition with her. The glamour and glitz displayed Sunday night – from ‘Who are you wearing?’ questions on the Red Carpet, to the many musical production numbers, to the appearances of legends like Jane Fonda and Barbra Streisand – continued the long history of celebrating the magic of Hollywood.

One thing that dawned on me as I watched is how much emphasis we, as a society, place on winning. Getting nominated isn’t good enough – and the ‘non-winners’ are quickly forgotten. Want proof? In 2009, Slumdog Millionaire received the Oscar for Best Picture: name one other film nominated. OK, that was hard. Here’s an easier one: The San Francisco Giants won the World Series last October – who did they beat?

Competition is great. Awards are important. Victory feels terrific. However, Vince Lombardi might have been wrong when he said, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.” Perhaps commitment is what we should celebrate. So the next time you want to motivate employees, don’t create a competition to reward whoever finishes first. Focus on the effort.

By the way, when Jennifer Lawrence stumbled on her dress while ascending the steps to accept her Best Actress award, you may have noticed only one person in the audience jumped out of his seat to assist her. That gentleman displayed the humility and realness of a regular guy, not some Hollywood elitist – which is why I’ll be rooting for Hugh Jackman to win his first Academy Award the next time he’s up for an Oscar.

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Super Results

Yesterday, Joe Flacco awakened as simply another among the long list of quarterbacks who would start their first Super Bowl. Today, he’s going to Walt Disney World – at least that’s what he said in the commercial I saw at 5:22 a.m. on ESPN2 – then he’ll soon walk into Ravens owner Steve Biscotti’s office and say, “Time to pay up, sir.”

Reports are the Super Bowl MVP, who just completed the five-year contract he signed out of college, could warrant a new deal approaching $125 million for six seasons. Perhaps the only other person getting that big of a raise today is Beyoncé, who sold lots of songs and concerts tickets with her outstanding halftime performance.

Of course, the money to pay for all that talent comes from many sources, most importantly the always skyrocketing rights fees from network television. While the NFL is having a strong conversation today with the Superdome about what caused that 34-minute power outage, at least the 49ers’ comeback kept a bigger portion of the audience around to watch those $3.8 million, 30-second commercials late in the game.

One of the problems Super Bowl champions have is replicating success the following year. Businesses, too, struggle to continue to outperform expectations – quarter over quarter in the public sector and year over year among smaller companies. Sometimes, the best approach may be to go with proven strategies (i.e., don’t let the quarterback escape to free agency); otherwise, you might experience something like a ticked-off goat that’s frustrated by your change of plans.

For the record, the folks at our party laughed loudest at these commercials:

M&M’s – “I would do anything for love”
Audi – Prom Black Eye
Bud Light – Stevie Wonder Voodoo
Taco Bell – “We are young” Senior Citizens
Axe – Lifeguard/Astronaut
NFL – Leon Sandcastle
Tide – Montanaland

There was a lot of respect for the Jeep ad saluting the military and the Dodge Ram spot featuring Paul Harvey’s ode to farmers. However, the XLVII ad that brought the biggest response in our house was Budweiser’s Clydesdale reunion. You never go wrong sticking with the horses.

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Natural Selection

Yesterday I wrote about the great work Angel’s Lawn Service did sprucing up our shrubs and plants. The business lesson of that tale is the importance of taking a look at your organization with fresh eyes – and there is no better time than the beginning of spring, which comes to Houston far earlier than most of the country… much of which is currently in a deep freeze.

Angel’s crew left two of our pieces of greenery untouched at my instructions. One is the Knockout Roses in the backyard. I always cut those back on Valentine’s Day (because it’s easy to remember) and they grow and bloom throughout the year. The other is the evergreen vines that cover a trellis outside our kitchen window.

These are über vines. During growing season I trim them twice a month… as it seems they add two inches a night. A few weeks ago we were standing at the sink and I told my wife it looks like someone took a machete and hacked away at the top. Suddenly, a squirrel poked its head out and we realized she had chewed through to clear space for a nest behind the wood.

Now the cut vines are turning brown and dropping leaves. I realize the wise thing to do would be to clear the nest. (Assuming, of course, I don’t get bitten in the process.) However, I decided to let nature take its course, so sometime in the next 45 days we’ll have squirrel babies… each, one inch and one ounce. After a few months they’ll venture out on their own and play many games of chase in our trees this summer.

So, what’s this business lesson? Simple. Sometimes it’s best to leave things alone. Being a change agent doesn’t mean you have to change everything.

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