Kevin Plank, CEO and founder of sports apparel maker Under Armour, poked his head into the office of the company's director of golf. It was January 2013, and Plank was on the verge of signing a four-year sponsorship deal with a golfer largely unknown to sports fans, much less the general public.
"Is he the real deal?" Plank asked.
"He's the Bryce Harper of golf," replied Ryan Kuehl, referring to the baseball phenom Under Armour had signed a year before Harper was named National League rookie of the year.
Plank looked at Leon Duncan, who works under Kuehl.