By Helen Ross
PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

AKRON, Ohio -- Shaun Micheel had just put a load of clothes in the washing machine, and he was playing with his Lhaso Apso, Bailey, on Monday afternoon when the phone rang.

Forget the fact that the man who had just won the PGA Championship was at home doing his laundry less than 24 hours after staking that 7-iron within 2 inches on the 18th hole at Oak Hill. Just wait until you hear who was on the phone.

Paco Zimmer, the road manager for the heavy metal band, Kiss, was calling to congratulate his friend. He put Paul Stanley, the lead singer, on the phone to invite Micheel to their concert in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday night.

"Kiss is my favorite rock group of all time," said Micheel, who used to dress up as members of the band at Halloween. "I know every one of their songs. If they'd only let me get up on stage and sing, it would be pretty interesting."

Micheel didn't get to make his musical debut but he did get Steve Jones, a pilot who works for his friend Glen Day, to fly him to Ohio. They parked their plane right next to Kiss' plane, and the band sent its limousine to pick the group -- which included Jones' wife and several of her friends -- up at the airport.

"Steve is a country fan," Micheel reported. "I said, 'Steve, this is not the Grand Ole Opry. These guys are loud. They spit blood. They shoot fire and stuff."

Even so warned, Jones didn't know quite was he was getting himself into when he settled into his seat. Particularly when Gene Simmons, the maniacal bass player with the reptilian tongue, strutted his stuff in front of Jones during the concert.

"He got blood all over his shoe," Micheel recalled. "He actually joked he was going to put those on eBay."

Micheel turned some heads while he was at the concert, as well.

"Some guy standing next to me between songs said, 'You look just like that guy that won the PGA Championship, Shaun Micheel," he said. "And I said, 'That's because I am.' He was like, no way, no way."

The man finally was convinced after he saw Micheel's name on his all-access badge. "He was giving me high fives and telling me about my shot on 18," grinned Micheel, who obliged with autographs before Aerosmith went on stage.

A little after midnight, Micheel's plane was wheels down in Akron, where he will make his World Golf Championships debut at the NEC Invitational at Firestone Country Club on Thursday. Even without the Kiss concert, the last three days have been a whirlwind.

Micheel and his wife, Stephanie, who is due to deliver their first child on their anniversary on Nov. 28, got back to their hotel room late Sunday night.. They'd stopped at the drive-thru at Wendy's for sustinance for a man who couldn't eat before the final round, and the hotel left a bottle of ginger ale, a bottle of champagne and eight chocolate-covered strawberries in their room.

"While I engulfed the strawberries, I watched my shot (at 18)," said Micheel, who estimated he'd now seen replays of his 7-iron "maybe 15 or 20 times."

Micheel was met at the Memphis airport Monday morning by an army of TV crews, sportswriters and family and friends. He took his parents out to lunch, and then Micheel and his wife drove home where they were greeted by congratulatory signs in their neighbors' yards.

"When I could finally give my mom a big hug and thank her and my dad for all that they've done for me, it was just a special moment," Micheel said.

Micheel hasn't gotten to talk to Ben Curtis, the rookie who produced the British Open stunner last month, yet, but he is sure that they'll have a lot to discuss when they do see each other.

"I'm sure he's in utter shock, much like me," Micheel said. "I've only had a day or so to try to digest some of what's changing. So I do look forward to the opportunity to kind of share some of the things that have happened to me, and hopefully he can share back."

Micheel may not have gotten invited to the White House to meet the President like Curtis did -- yet. But he has done countless TV interviews and radio shows in the last three days, including a 30-minute session with reporters at Firestone before he even got his first look at the course.

About this time of year, Micheel has usually battling to keep his card. He's not played less than 30 events in each of the last three seasons, but he now has the security of a five-year exemption to the PGA TOUR.

Micheel can afford to sit back and plan his schedule, rather than making wholesale commitments to tournaments because he's afraid of forgetting to sign up. He's also going to have to weigh invitations to postseason events and tournaments overseas.

First, though, Micheel will have to get comfortable with his newfound celebrity.

"I was really more nervous yesterday, not knowing what to expect coming up here and how I was going to be received," he said. "I haven't been able to return all my phone calls. I hope my friends can forgive me.

"I'm enjoying it. I can see some of the difficulties that might arise. I'm trying to accommodate everyone in understanding that the fans are ultimately why the PGA TOUR is as successful as it is."

Minutes later, on a sun-drenched afternoon here in northeast Ohio, he was out on the course signing autographs to back up those words.