There are few professional golfers who can say they have won a major championship. Even fewer can say they competed with Tiger Woods in his prime or hit a shot so well that acclaimed sports broadcaster Jim Nantz instantly declared to “add that one to PGA Championship lore.”
Men’s golf assistant coach Shaun Micheel is one of the rare few who can attest to these accomplishments.
Furthermore, Micheel is one of only six golfers whose lone PGA Tour win is one of the four major championships: The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open Championship.
As he competes in fewer tournaments on the PGA Tour Champions, he has kept busy as an assistant coach for the men’s golf team. Accomplished in the game of golf, Micheel views the opportunity to give back as an assistant coach as truly special.
“I have been around some of the best players in the world,” Micheel said. “But I really love helping the young people try to get better at golf and in life. It brings me a lot of joy to help them and watch them succeed.”
Head coach Colby Huffman has known Micheel for a long time, meeting initially through mutual friends and then traveling to tournaments to watch him play.
Once Huffman took over as head coach, he remembers reaching out to Micheel to ask if he was interested in helping the team.
“He was in a spot where he was not playing as much as he had in the past,” Huffman said. “He was a nice addition to the team. He is always available as a great resource.”
As someone who started playing on the PGA Tour in 1992, Micheel had both successes and struggles during his professional career. He uses both his own triumphs and setbacks in golf to help individuals and the team deal with the challenges of performing at a high level.
“A lot of the things that I tell [the players] are the mistakes I made,” Micheel said. “Whether it is being too wrapped up in technique or obsession at night over your scores, it is a mental grind out there.”
Huffman recalled a story Micheel shared, imploring the players to stay true to themselves, no matter the situation.
“[Micheel] talked about how his expectations changed after the PGA Championship; he became more of a perfectionist and began to isolate himself on the range,” Huffman said. “He encourages the guys to keep being themselves and to make sure [the players] enjoy the game.”
Micheel’s encouraging demeanor has not only assisted Huffman but also the players and their game.
Sophomore golfer Johnny Creamean highlighted a specific piece of advice Micheel gave him as Creamean was adjusting to college golf.
“[Micheel] said that when he started playing college golf, he learned he was an individual practicer,” Creamean said. “It stuck with me because I am now finding my way to navigate practice to help my team perform the best.”
Micheel’s emphasis on individual adjustment stems from a period when he had to reinvent his own game.
A shoulder surgery in 2008 forced Micheel to change his swing. At the same time, he was in the final season of his five-year exemption on the PGA Tour following his triumph at the PGA Championship.
He referenced how trying to stay determined helped him overcome those struggles and also plays a major role in how he tries to influence members of the team.
“Not being exempt was the biggest hurdle I had to overcome,” Micheel said. “You just have to wake up every day eager to get back out there. It is really too easy to quit.”
He also brings the same mindset he relied on during his time on the PGA Tour: not dwelling on mistakes after a bad round or tournament.
“I was never a player [who] expected to win,” Micheel said. “You want to go out there and do the best you can to give yourself an opportunity to be in that position. One of the biggest things I see with [the players] is that they are very critical of themselves. I try to encourage them [not to] be so hard on themselves. All we can do is the best we can.”
Players, like Creamean, expressed their appreciation for Micheel’s willingness to help the team and his openness towards discussing his own high-level performances as a way to set the team up for success.
“I talked to [Micheel] about the PGA Championship, and he talked about how he came in as an underdog,” Creamean said. “[His message] was, regardless of how good everyone else is supposed to be, you can always be better. Even if you are not supposed to be the number one player in the field, that does not mean that you cannot be better.”
The mentality Micheel shared has already translated to solid results for the team this season. In 12-team events this season, the Bulldogs have finished in first place four times with an additional four second-place finishes.
As a coach with experience in high-pressure moments, he hopes to continue helping the Bulldogs find success in big events while reveling in the opportunity to do so.
“I have just enjoyed being a part of what [Huffman] has built at Butler,” Micheel said. “I have really enjoyed the last two to three years getting to know the players and watching them grow. I am going to try to help them get a conference title this year.”