Micheel was born in Orlando, Florida. He attended Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tennessee and Indiana University and turned professional in 1992. He taught himself how to play golf after his parents bought a home on a golf course in Memphis. He had a very patchy early career, during which he struggled to hold on to membership on the PGA Tour. His successes included a victory in the Singapore Open in 1998 and a win on the Nike Tour (now the Web.com Tour) in 1999.