Legendary golfer Walter Hagen, often hailed as the “father of professional golf,” famously declared, “No one remembers who came second.” Clearly, Hagen valued winning, but perhaps it was less about the glory of first place and more about the financial rewards. After all, he also quipped, “I never wanted to be a millionaire, just to live like one.”
Now, Mr MPF isn’t suggesting that MPF members should spend their retirement savings extravagantly. But Hagen’s words raise an intriguing question: Do you really need to come first to succeed financially? As it turns out, in both golf and MPF investments, the answer lies not in winning but in something far more critical—Consistency.
Curious to learn why? Let’s dive in.
Consistent Performance: A Winning Formula
According to Golf Digest, 22 golfers on the US PGA Tour have earned over US$10 million without ever winning a single tournament. These players exemplify the value of consistency over occasional glory:
- Charlie Wi: Finished in the top 25 in over 20% of the tournaments he’s entered.
- Briny Baird: Played 378 tournaments, making the cut 234 times (a 62% success rate) and achieving 31 top-10 finishes.
- Brian Davis: Competes in over 30 tournaments annually, earning steady prize money each year without a major win.
- Pat Rogers: Achieved an impressive 50 top-10 finishes across his career.
None of these players are rookies—they’ve built their careers steadily over time, amassing wealth that would allow any ordinary individual to retire comfortably. Their success is not about occasional wins but about consistent performance.
This same principle applies to MPF investment performance.
Consistency in MPF: The Key to Long-Term Wealth
Here’s a simple question:
If two funds deliver the same total return over 10 years but achieve it differently, which would you choose?
- Fund A: The fund that delivered the industry’s best return in 2 out of 10 years but underperformed in the other 8.
- Fund B: The fund that never ranked first in any single year but outperformed the average every year for 10 years.
Most people would choose Fund B—and for good reason. Long-term wealth creation, whether on the golf course or within the MPF system, is about maintaining steady returns over time, not relying on sporadic wins.
That’s why MPF Ratings created the Consistent Performer award. This award recognises funds that deliver strong returns with minimal risk, highlighting consistent long-term performers rather than those with a few standout years.
Celebrating the Consistent Performers
Take Tommy Fleetwood as an example. Since 2017, Fleetwood has competed in 127 US PGA Tour events, achieving 33 top-10 finishes—a remarkable 26% success rate—and missing the cut only 21 times. Despite winning zero tournaments, he has earned an impressive US$28 million in prize money.
Fleetwood’s story proves that while no one may remember who came second, consistent performance can secure financial success—and a comfortable retirement.
This brings us to the 2025 MPF Consistent Performer awards – these Consistent Performer awards celebrate Constituent Funds that deliver the strongest performances in their respective categories according to MPF Ratings’ performance survey. For 1-year awards, absolute performance is rewarded, while 5-year, 10-year, 15-year, and 20-year performances are evaluated on a risk-adjusted basis.
Curious which scheme has earned the most Consistent Performer awards? Look no further than the Manulife’s Global Select (MPF) Scheme with an impressive 11 Consistent Performer awards in 2025.
But it isn’t just Manulife who has been consistent, check out the full list of 2025’s consistent performers here.
In both golf and investing, consistency isn’t just a strategy—it’s the key to long-term success. While winning once may grab the headlines, consistency delivers the results that truly matter.
