Shaun Micheel
A professional golfer who authored one of the sport's greatest clutch shots, a 7-iron to inches, to seize a major championship in a stunning, career-defining moment.
Born 1969 (age 57)·American professional golfer·Birthday: January 5·Generation X
Biography
Shaun Micheel entered the final hole of the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill as a virtual unknown, a journeyman pro without a single tour win to his name. Facing a daunting approach shot from the first cut of rough with a one-stroke lead, he produced what many call the greatest shot in PGA Championship history: a 7-iron that stopped mere inches from the cup for a tap-in birdie. That single swing clinched the Wanamaker Trophy and etched his name permanently in golf lore. The victory, however, proved to be the towering peak of a career marked by consistency but not repeated glory. He contended in other majors and remained a respected figure on tour, but that week in Rochester defined him. Micheel's story is the essence of golf's democratic drama—proof that on any given week, precision and nerve can rewrite a career in a single, breathtaking strike.
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.
Shaun was born in 1969, 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 Shaun Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Shaun's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, his first and only PGA Tour victory.
- His approach shot on the 72nd hole of the 2003 PGA Championship is widely regarded as one of the greatest pressure shots in major championship history.
- Finished second at the 2006 PGA Championship, losing in a playoff to Tiger Woods.
- Represented the United States in the 2003 Ryder Cup team.
Did You Know?
He did not win a PGA Tour event before or after his 2003 PGA Championship victory.
He played collegiate golf at Indiana University.
He was diagnosed with a heart condition, atrial fibrillation, which he had treated with ablation surgery in 2012.
“null”
