TV analyst gearing up for Champions Tour, tees off today at Colonial
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Tall, lean, tan, young, and handsome, Australian Ian Baker-Finch was a dashing poster boy for professional golf when he won the British Open in 1991. But all the major championship did was lengthen the fall when Baker-Finch tumbled into the golf abyss.
A victim of ill-advised swing changes and shattered confidence, Baker-Finch failed to make the cut in any of the 29 events he entered in 1995-96. When he shot a 92 in the opening round of the 1997 British Open, he withdrew on the spot and fled from the sport, at an age when he should have been in his prime.
Twelve years later, Baker-Finch has played in only one event. But now, at age 48, he has his sights set on the Champions Tour. Will a return to tournament competition bring back the old demons?
Thursday when he tees it up at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, many eyes will be on Baker-Finch. He hopes they aren’t witness to a train wreck.
“It’s not going to be easy,” said Baker-Finch. “It’s certainly going to be more difficult Thursday than it was today. But to come back and have a game around a place that I absolutely love is going to be a lot of fun.”
Twenty years ago, Baker-Finch was a winner at Colonial. The short, tight course rewarded his accuracy off the tee, the part of his game that he suddenly lost after winning 16 professional events in a span of 11 years. The signature moment of his freefall came in the 1995 Open at St. Andrew’s when he pull-hooked his opening drive so far left that it crossed the legendarily wide fairway on the parallel 18th hole and went out of bounds.
Baker-Finch believed his swing hitch was mental. He was often perfect in practice rounds and on the driving range, but faltered badly under tournament pressure.
After quitting, Baker-Finch transitioned seamlessly into a successful television career. Staying close to the game, Baker-Finch has played three to four times per week, often showing his old ability to stripe tee shots down the middle.
But Thursday, when Baker-Finch plays for the first time in a PGA tournament in eight years, it will be different.
“If I play well and stay relaxed, I think I can maybe not compete for the plaid jacket, but I certainly feel if I play well, I can be around on Sunday,” said Baker-Finch. “That’s how I intend to see it and that’s what I intend to try and do.”
