ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Rich Beem's life has undergone some major changes in the past 12 months, but the happy-go-lucky everyman attitude is still firmly in place.

	Rich Beem hopes a return to the PGA is just the thing to jump-start his game.

Winning last year's PGA Championship in just his fourth major was the first life-altering event, making him an instant celebrity while unearthing his regular-guy roots: as a struggling cell-phone salesman turned Pepto-chugging major champion.

In the year since his unlikely victory, Beem has seen the endorsements pile up (he's featured in a Pepto-Bismol ad in the back of the media guide this week), the interview requests are multiplying and his confidence is soaring.

"It's done wonders for my personal life," Beem said. "I'm more at ease talking to others, especially my peers out here. I feel more comfortable being on the driving range, playing in front of huge crowds and things of that nature."

But an even bigger transformation was still to come. With his financial future firmly secured, Beem and wife Sara welcomed their first addition to the family on July 25 when son Michael was born. Since then, golf is no longer the top priority in the Beem household.

"I'm making this up as I go along as a father," said Beem, beaming as he talked about his son. "As soon as (Michael) was born, I knew my one goal and sole purpose in life was to take care of my wife and this child.

"I'm just taking care of them, and to me, it feels so good to do that. Like I said, I never knew how I was going to react up until the day that Michael was born, and now I know."

What Beem also knows is it's tough to produce an encore after a major championship victory. The 33-year-old has struggled so far in 2003, sitting 50th on the money list after missing nine cuts in 20 events and managing just two top-10 finishes.

"I put a lot more pressure on myself than I probably should have, but I think that's just the nature (of the game)," Beem said. "You always strive to become a better player than you were yesterday. I thought since I won a major championship, I thought damn sure I should be there every other week. That's probably never been my game and probably never will be unfortunately."

How does he like his chances this week?

"I'm very comfortable with every part of my game," he said. "As far as my chances go, if I can get a little confidence out there, get a good solid round up, I kind of like my chances. ... I've never disliked my chances."

Even if Beem never wins another major, he's able to appreciate what last year's PGA has done both on and off the course. And he's still the life of the party.

At Tuesday's champions clinic at Oak Hill, Beem gave out cigars to celebrate Michael's birth, and showed off the diapers, baby wipes and pacifier that were stuffed in his golf bag.

Beem is admittedly a streaky golfer. His PGA title last year came the week after winning the International, and eight of his nine missed cuts in 2003 have come in bunches -- two groups of three and a group of two. The ninth missed cut, which may forecast his chances at Oak Hill, came at last week's International.

Still, he's learned that part of being a major champion is learning to deal with disappointment.

"I'm able to bounce back a little easier now," he said. "The way I handle it is sit back, probably have a few beers, look at my bank account and laugh, (asking myself:) 'How in the hell did I ever make this kind of money?' and don't worry about it."

Don't be fooled by the relaxed demeanor, though. Beem, who will be paired with Tiger Woods and David Toms for the first two rounds, insists the desire to win another major still burns.

"The drive is still there," Beem said. "I want to get in the mix again. I want to be in contention not only in a major, but any tournament again. You find out a lot about yourself as a competitor and as a person, so I enjoy it. I enjoy being in high-pressure situations because ... you give it 110 percent and whether you win or lose, you can look at it and say, 'This is fun.'"

David Lefort is the golf editor for ESPN.com, and can be reached at david.m.lefort@espn3.com.