Rich Beem
A former car stereo salesman who stunned the golf world by holding off Tiger Woods to win a major championship.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American professional golfer·Birthday: August 24·Generation X
Biography
Rich Beem's path to golf glory was anything but conventional. After a brief and unsuccessful stint on a mini-tour, he quit the game entirely to sell car stereos and cell phones in Seattle. The mundane work reignited his competitive fire, leading him back to the sport through the professional ranks' back doors. His breakthrough was as sudden as it was spectacular: in 2002, at Hazeltine, the unheralded Beem found himself in a final-round duel with the sport's dominant force, Tiger Woods. With a series of audacious shots, including a memorable 35-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, Beem clinched the PGA Championship, authoring one of the sport's great underdog stories. The victory secured his place in history, a flash of brilliance defined by resilience and a fearless attitude that captivated fans.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Rich was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rich Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Rich's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 2002 PGA Championship, one of golf's four major tournaments.
- Defeated Tiger Woods by one stroke in that major victory, a defining moment of his career.
- Captured two other PGA Tour victories at The International and the Kemper Open.
Did You Know?
Before his PGA Tour success, he worked selling car stereos at a Magnolia Hi-Fi store.
He celebrated his 2002 PGA Championship win by famously air-guitaring with the Wanamaker Trophy.
He is a regular analyst on Sky Sports' golf coverage in the UK.
“I knew I had to make birdies. I wasn't going to let up.”
