The PGA of Australia announced Ian Baker-Finch as the new chairman of the governing body. The former Major winner succeeds Roger Davis at the helm. May 28 marks the start of a three-year stint for the acclaimed golf commentator and analyst. Here is everything you need to know about the 1991 Open Champion. 

Ian Baker-Finch left home at 15 to pursue his golf dream

Baker-Finch doesn’t come from a golf background. The Aussie grew up on a farm in Nambour, Queensland. Born to Tony Baker-Finch, who juggled his electrician job and sawmill operator, all the while maintaining a 25-acre farm, his early interest in golf stemmed from watching Jack Nicklaus’s heroics on the green. Influence also came from the national hero, Peter Thomson, who won the Open Championship five times between 1954 and 1965, including a three-peat from 1954 and 1956. 

However, his first practice started courtesy of a grant from the Forestry Department. His father was offered 100 acres of land in Queensland to build a golf course. That started the journey for Ian Baker-Finch, who received his first set of clubs at 12. 

Three years later, the teenager left home to become an assistant club pro. Teaching himself golf from Nicklaus’s 1974 book ‘Golf My Way’, the Australian international received instructions from his childhood idol, Thomson, at a later stage. 

Kickstarting his golf career at the PGA Tour of Australasia, Baker-Finch went on to net 17 international wins on four continents, including one major. However, his career dramatically slumped toward the worst after the crowning moment. 

The major glory that fluttered the black flags

The 1991 Open Championship triumph, in which he fired a 29 in the nine on Sunday, was supposed to be a landmark moment in his career. It was. Just not the one Baker-Finch or anyone in the world imagined. 

The first major victory spurred him to do more. He did, but without the result he wanted. Ian Baker-Finch missed 32 straight cuts on the PGA Tour between 1994 and 1998. He booked the weekend berth only once in those three years. The veteran himself quipped that he should be awarded Father of the Year because he always spent time with his family on the weekends.

A Sports Illustrated feature revealed that he received more than 4,500 letters offering him advice. He received instructions from Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, Sandy Lyle, and Seve Ballesteros. Suggestions ranged from his grip to following Zen to calm himself. 

Nothing, however, could save his falling game. At the 1995 Open Championship, his wayward hook cleared two fairways, landing the ball out-of-bounds on the 18th at the St. Andrews. Two years later, Ian Baker-Smith carded a 92 in the opening round of the Open Championship, the worst score by a former champion. Finch eventually decided to hang up his clubs at the young age of 38. But the closed doors of professional golf opened the windows for his second career. 

Ian Baker-Finch revived his passion for the game outside the ropes

Shortly after retirement, the Aussie segued into a broadcasting career. Finch worked on various Australian television shows as an analyst. The 63-year-old also worked with ABC as a hole announcer and as a lead analyst for ESPN, and a brief stint with TNT also followed. Baker-Finch eventually rejoined CBS, which gave him the initial chance in the late 90s, in 2007. 

In 2008, in an interview with Golf Digest, the former pros said, “I think more people know me now as “the Aussie guy on TV,” rather than the unfortunate golfer whose career hit the skid after a major triumph. Notably, Ian Baker-Finch has also served as the team leader of the Australian men’s and women’s golf teams at the Olympics in 2016 and 2020. 

Baker-Finch was not the biggest fan of Greg Norman’s LIV

At the height of golf’s civil war, Ian Baker-Finch sided with the PGA Tour rather than his compatriot. Lending support to Rory McIlroy’s claim that Greg Norman needed to leave for a detente between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, Baker-Finch said the Shark’s combative leadership could pose problems.

“I think it will be difficult [to find a compromise with Norman in charge],” Baker-Finch told Summer Grandstand. The 63-year-old also wondered if Norman’s legacy would be tarnished because of his association with LIV Golf.

Interestingly, he also suggested Cameron Smith stay back on the PGA Tour. Baker-Finch, then a board member of the PGA of Australia, said, “I really hoped Cam wouldn’t go because I felt he had the ability to be No. 1 in the world and create a huge name for himself like Adam Scott has done over the years like Greg Norman did himself.” Although the CBS commentator refused to censure players who switched to LIV, the veteran wished the PIF-funded side didn’t go on a warpath against the PGA Tour. 

Ian Baker-Finch is married to Jennie. The couple shares two daughters, Hayley and Laura. The Aussie had found his wife by his side during the toughest time—the 1997 Open Championship. Talking about the moment, the veteran told Golf Digest, “I think my wife understood it and was as understanding as she could be. She was a great support. My kids were too young to really understand.” The couple now lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.