Micheel the latest major shaker

RICH BEEM started the trend a year ago in the USPGA Championship at Hazeltine.

Little did we know he was becoming the first of five first-time major winners in a row.

Canadian Mike Weir stepped up to claim the Masters in April, Jim Furyk won the US Open in June and was followed by two of the most bizarre winners of all. And with due respect to Shaun Micheel, who captured the US PGA at the weekend, the biggest shock was Ben Curtis winning the British Open at Royal St Georges.

At least, Micheel had won the 1999 Greater Greensboro Open on the US Nike Tour and the 1998 Singapore Open, had two top 10 finishes on the regular circuit this year and was 169th in the world rankings. Curtis had no such claims to fame in the professional game and was 369th in the world before events at St Georges unfolded. He duly missed the PGA cut and one is already entitled to wonder if he will quickly return to anonymity.

Why is golf churning up these unheralded winners?

Chad Campbell, another to come out of the blue and chase Micheel all the way home at the weekend, offered his view: "It just goes to show how many good players there are on the PGA Tour. There is a lot of depth. There were 156 of us in this tournament and any of us could have won. There are just so many good players."

Now along comes Micheel (rhymes with real) and quite honestly the manner in which he pulled it off brooks no argument. That seven iron of 174 yards on Sunday was a masterly stroke. It never left the flag and fully obeyed his caddy's instructions to "be right". It all but went in the hole although Micheel admitted: "I was thinking par. When the ball was in the air, all I was begging for was to carry the front of the green." Having waited for Campbell to play, he walked up the steep incline and saw his ball two or three inches from the cup and knew he would be PGA champion.

"When I saw how close it was, a whole range of emotions came through," said Micheel.

"I'm astonished. A year ago I was trying to keep my tour card and win the BC Open."

That glorious seven iron at Oak Hill set many thinking about similar crucial and spectacular shots that won or helped to win major championships. I came up with the following five:

Gene Sarazen at the par 5 15th at the 1935 Masters at Augusta. He hit a five wood over the lake fronting the green and into the hole for an albatross two, and went on to win the title.

Jerry Pate at the par 4 18th at the Atlanta Athletic Club in the 1976 US Open. Needing birdie to win, he cracked a five iron over water to less than two feet for birdie and victory by a stroke.

Bobby Jones at the difficult 17th hole at the 1926 British Open at Royal Lytham St Annes. He was trapped in wasteland to the left of the fairway but somehow drilled a mashie/niblick (the equivalent of today's five iron) close enough to make birdie. His partner, Al Watrous, was leading but was so shattered at seeing Jones's shot he took five and the amateur went on to victory.

Wherever golfers assemble, they talk about the "duel in the sun" between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus at Turnberry in 1977. Watson was one ahead of his rival when they reached the 18th and looked to have clinched it when hitting a seven to less than a yard from the flag. But Nicklaus sank a 60 footer for birdie, forcing Watson to hole his for the title which he did.

Nicklaus at the par 3 17th in the 1972 US Open at Pebble Beach. He chose a one iron and it hit the flagstick and stopped stone dead. This amazing effort closed the door on all his rivals.

There are countless other outstanding, decisive shots. There was Hale Irwin's monster putt on the 18th green in the 1990 US Open, when he performed a lap of honour, high-fiving the gallery as he went. Irwin went on to beat Mike Donald at the first tie hole after they finished level in the 18-hole play-off.

At a lesser level, they will never stop talking of the three iron Tiger Woods played from a bunker over water to within a few feet of the hole for a decisive birdie in the 2001 Canadian Open. Here in Ireland, we constantly enthuse over the heroics of our players in the Ryder Cup, like Christy O'Connor Junior's two iron that destroyed Fred Couples in 1989 at The Belfry and ensured the trophy stayed in European hands; how Eamonn Darcy sank the most difficult of putts for a crucial win over Ben Crenshaw in the historic first triumph on American soil two years previously; how Philip Walton gained the crucial point against Jay Haas in 1995 and how it was Paul McGinley who sank the clincher in 2002 when he halved with Jim Furyk.

Memorable moments all and now Shaun Micheel has joined the club.