A good neighbor
Valley golfer Purdy lets man next door carry bag at FBR Open

From the Arizona Republic

Feb. 3, 2007 12:00 AM

OK, show of hands:

How many of you would put your livelihood in the hands of your next-door neighbor?

That's what we thought, which is why we figure PGA Tour pro Ted Purdy is either a really nice dude, or remarkably confident in his Moon Valley neighbor, Chuck Lawston.  
 
The two were in Las Vegas with their wives recently to celebrate the Lawstons' 40th birthdays when Chuck mentioned that it sure would be cool to caddie for Purdy in a pro-am or a practice round some time. Purdy asked him how he'd like to carry the bag during the FBR Open.

Lawston thought it was a great idea until Purdy suggested he loop for the entire tournament.

"I said, 'Nah, that's your life.' We kind of let it go, and then I sent him an e-mail and told him, 'I realize we were making some poor decisions so here's your easy out.' "

Purdy sent a reply saying he already had given his regular caddie the week off. "No backing out now," he wrote.

So Lawston, a 4-handicap golfer who was good enough to win the Montana Junior Amateur as a kid, is on Purdy's bag this week.

"The joke among all my buddies is that I'm the worst putter of all of us," Lawston said. "They're wondering how I'm supposed to caddie when I've got to read putts. I told them, 'I can read 'em, I just can't make 'em.' "

Lawston sounds like a veteran caddie. He mentioned that although Purdy struggled a bit with his driver and missed a couple of putts in the first round, "We still ended up 2 under."  (See? Good day, and it's "we.")

"We're a little (ticked) we're not in the hunt," Purdy said after a 70 on Friday left him at 3 under. "But we made the cut, so maybe we can get in the hunt tomorrow."

Anyway, Lawston is spreading the fun. He's wearing a hat that says "Arizona Fleet Services," a business owned by his neighbor across the street. And he's wearing a shirt with the Chris Asterino & Associates logo for another friend and former neighbor, Asterino.

Lawston's real job is selling doors, and he said his bosses have been kidding him about taking the week off, but it turns out he's run into a bunch of clients at the tournament.

"They're all high-fiving me," he said. "I should be selling them doors, but they're out here anyway."

Plus, Purdy is sponsored by Kohler, which makes bathroom and kitchen fixtures, so you can pretty much take care of all your home improvement needs by following one group.

"Chuck's been great," Purdy said. "He's real positive. It's nice having a friend on the bag. The whole key for a good caddie is the relationship has to be stable, positive and fun. We were having fun on the back nine (Friday)."

So far, Lawston hasn't made any major mistakes, other than a miscalculation of yardage during the pro-am.

"I was trying to figure out how the whole sprinkler-and-yardage thing works," he said. "I gave him a yardage of 114 yards, he hit the shot and said, 'Are you sure?' He glanced at the sprinkler as he was walking up, and after he paced it off on the green he asked again, 'Are you sure about that yardage?' I did the math again, and it was 111. He knew. These guys are so dialed in, it's amazing."

So, we wondered if he'd consider ever doing it for a living?

"I've got a pretty good job," he said. "I've got a wife and three little kids. I couldn't do it."

Besides, he's found out what pressure is all about.

"I've probably gotten about six hours of sleep this week going over all the possible scenarios. Ted's a great guy. He's letting me go where 120,000 other people out here won't ever get to go."

Congress Staves Off Physician Cuts, Expands HSA Contributions
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Article provided by: HFMA

Before adjourning for the year, Congress passed legislation that will delay the scheduled 5.1% Medicare physician pay cut by one year, reports CQ Today. Medicare payments to physicians will be maintained at 2006 rates, and physicians will also receive a 1.5% bonus if they report on quality measures. But next year, Congress will again have to grapple with the Medicare formula that mandates the payment cuts. In the spring, however, the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee will issue a report to Congress with recommendations to replace or change the physician payment formula, and it will likely have a pay-for-performance component to it.

The bill also expands the amount of money that can be contributed tax-free to health savings accounts, reports The Washington Post. Currently, individuals are limited to making a contribution that cannot exceed their annual deductible. The new law, which awaits President Bush’s signature, allows any individual with an HSA to contribute $2,850 per year, and families can contribute $5,650. The larger HSA tax benefit is expected to cost the government $1 billion in tax revenue.