No Handouts: LSU, Levin, and Intuit Show Grit Gets Results

Paul Riverbank, 12/14/2025From LSU’s gritty comeback to Spencer Levin’s PGA quest and Intuit’s standout quarter, resilience and execution define victory—on the court, the course, or Wall Street. Success, the article shows, is forged by those who show up and deliver when it counts most.

Sports, of course, have a knack for dramatizing transformation. On the golf course, that story took shape through Spencer Levin, a name that rarely trends, but always perseveres. At 41, his face is lines, his grip steady, forged over twenty years on tour. You won’t find stories of overnight stardom—just a scrapbook of long drives and longer afternoons. The latest? Sawgrass Country Club on a breezy Saturday, Levin eyeing each putt with a hope that never really fades. A 7-under 63 in Q-School Finals’ third round—his best yet—vaulted him up the leaderboard. Sixth place. Only two shots off the leaders, but just five get that golden PGA Tour card. For Levin, that’s been the math for a while now—one round to erase all the near-misses.

Pressure, though, is familiar terrain. “You just have to show up, execute,” Levin shrugged, looking almost amused at the fuss. “That’s the gig.” It’s a sentiment echoed in boardrooms as much as on back nines.

Intuit, if you haven’t followed, posted numbers last quarter that made Wall Street sit up. The company, a household name for anyone scrambling through TurboTax or exploring a loan on Credit Karma, blitzed analyst expectations. Stifel and Evercore ISI didn’t hesitate: Buy. Outperform. Digging into the numbers, Credit Karma surged $70 million above forecast, an echo of American households hustling for financial relief or juggling cards. Global Business Services—Payments, Payroll—stacked another $55 million on top.

In plain talk, Intuit’s revenue climbed by about 4%. Subtle, but anyone who’s ever tried to nudge up a budget knows it’s tougher in a choppy economy. The company boosted next-quarter guidance, stuck by full-year targets. Stifel called them a “top large-cap pick,” a phrase with more weight than flattery. Evercore pointed to TurboTax Live and to the 2.8 million customers already leaning on Intuit’s digital services to steer through taxes and budgeting headaches. These lines don’t show up on a scoreboard, but in business circles, they might as well.

Zoom back to Baton Rouge, and you’ll find Coach Mulkey talking not records or rivalries, but resilience. Her career crisscrosses the state—once a Lady Techster herself, now she stands at the other bench, shepherding a new generation. “That first quarter doesn’t decide you,” Mulkey has said more than once, and it seems her squad took her words as gospel. By halftime, LSU controlled everything that mattered. Williams never let the pulse falter.

Meanwhile, for Levin, Saturday’s round was inked with small adjustments—open hips here, quieter hands there. As a kid, he wanted to play big league baseball until a certain 1997 Masters Sunday, when Tiger Woods made golf look utterly invincible. Levin’s own swing resisted instructors, but it worked enough: low-amateur at the U.S. Open by 2004, pro in 2005. One Korn Ferry Tour win came—and the better part of $9 million in earnings. Odd, though, how the PGA Tour card always seemed half a shot out of reach. Sunday brings him another chance, another green in regulation, another possible rewrite.

Intuit’s story isn’t so different. Adjust here, innovate there, trust in the next release. Wall Street’s cheers only matter so far; it’s that quiet, relentless drive that keeps companies, golfers, and athletes alike moving forward.

The through-line, whether you’re facing a must-make putt or delays in a quarterly product launch, comes down to execution under pressure—on the rim, the green, or in shareholder conference calls. At this level, easy doesn’t exist. Levin’s grin told it straight: “There are no secrets.” Maybe that’s the real score, everywhere you look.

Even before Mikaylah Williams felt the net snap, the tension in New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center clung to the air. LSU’s shots, stubbornly bouncing rim-to-rim in the first quarter, left the crowd restless. But that familiar hush only made the late-game surge wear more meaning. Williams, relentless as ever, sparked the Tigers—ranked fifth nationally—out of their slump. From there, Louisiana Tech couldn’t close the gap, and LSU cruised home, 87-61. For Kim Mulkey, matching wits with her alma mater is rare. Saturday marked just her second go at it; no less personal than the first.Sports, of course, have a knack for dramatizing transformation. On the golf course, that story took shape through Spencer Levin, a name that rarely trends, but always perseveres. At 41, his face is lines, his grip steady, forged over twenty years on tour. You won’t find stories of overnight stardom—just a scrapbook of long drives and longer afternoons. The latest? Sawgrass Country Club on a breezy Saturday, Levin eyeing each putt with a hope that never really fades. A 7-under 63 in Q-School Finals’ third round—his best yet—vaulted him up the leaderboard. Sixth place. Only two shots off the leaders, but just five get that golden PGA Tour card. For Levin, that’s been the math for a while now—one round to erase all the near-misses.Pressure, though, is familiar terrain. “You just have to show up, execute,” Levin shrugged, looking almost amused at the fuss. “That’s the gig.” It’s a sentiment echoed in boardrooms as much as on back nines.Intuit, if you haven’t followed, posted numbers last quarter that made Wall Street sit up. The company, a household name for anyone scrambling through TurboTax or exploring a loan on Credit Karma, blitzed analyst expectations. Stifel and Evercore ISI didn’t hesitate: Buy. Outperform. Digging into the numbers, Credit Karma surged $70 million above forecast, an echo of American households hustling for financial relief or juggling cards. Global Business Services—Payments, Payroll—stacked another $55 million on top.In plain talk, Intuit’s revenue climbed by about 4%. Subtle, but anyone who’s ever tried to nudge up a budget knows it’s tougher in a choppy economy. The company boosted next-quarter guidance, stuck by full-year targets. Stifel called them a “top large-cap pick,” a phrase with more weight than flattery. Evercore pointed to TurboTax Live and to the 2.8 million customers already leaning on Intuit’s digital services to steer through taxes and budgeting headaches. These lines don’t show up on a scoreboard, but in business circles, they might as well.Zoom back to Baton Rouge, and you’ll find Coach Mulkey talking not records or rivalries, but resilience. Her career crisscrosses the state—once a Lady Techster herself, now she stands at the other bench, shepherding a new generation. “That first quarter doesn’t decide you,” Mulkey has said more than once, and it seems her squad took her words as gospel. By halftime, LSU controlled everything that mattered. Williams never let the pulse falter.Meanwhile, for Levin, Saturday’s round was inked with small adjustments—open hips here, quieter hands there. As a kid, he wanted to play big league baseball until a certain 1997 Masters Sunday, when Tiger Woods made golf look utterly invincible. Levin’s own swing resisted instructors, but it worked enough: low-amateur at the U.S. Open by 2004, pro in 2005. One Korn Ferry Tour win came—and the better part of $9 million in earnings. Odd, though, how the PGA Tour card always seemed half a shot out of reach. Sunday brings him another chance, another green in regulation, another possible rewrite.Intuit’s story isn’t so different. Adjust here, innovate there, trust in the next release. Wall Street’s cheers only matter so far; it’s that quiet, relentless drive that keeps companies, golfers, and athletes alike moving forward.The through-line, whether you’re facing a must-make putt or delays in a quarterly product launch, comes down to execution under pressure—on the rim, the green, or in shareholder conference calls. At this level, easy doesn’t exist. Levin’s grin told it straight: “There are no secrets.” Maybe that’s the real score, everywhere you look.