What Is Ian Baker-Finch's Net Worth?
Ian Baker-Finch is an Australian professional golfer who has a net worth of $6 million. Ian Baker-Finch began competing in golf tournaments professionally in 1979, competing on the PGA Tour of Australasia. His first professional win was the title at the New Zealand Open in 1983. He began competing on the European Tour in the mid-1980s and then joined the PGA Tour in 1985. He eventually won two PGA Tour tournaments, two European tour titles, three Japan Golf Tour tournaments, and eleven PGA Tour of Australasia tournaments. He achieved the majority of his major tournament successes in the late 80s and early 90s. He placed 34th at the 1989 PGA Championship, 13th at the 1992 U.S. Open, sixth at the 1992 Masters Tournament, and won the 1991 Open Championship. In 2000, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal. After retiring, Ian became a broadcaster for ESPN, ABC Sports, and, most recently, CBS Sports.
Early Life
Ian Baker-Finch was born on October 24, 1960, in Nambour, Australia. He grew up in the same neighborhood as fellow future professional golfers Greg Norman and Wayne Grady. He began playing golf as a child and quickly showed great promise in the sport. Ian greatly admired golfer Jack Nicklaus as he was learning how to play and developing his game. He has stated that he based much of his golf game on Nicklaus' book, "Golf My Way."
Career
Baker-Finch turned professional in 1979 at the age of 19. He began his professional career on the PGA Tour of Australasia. He won his first professional tournament, the New Zealand Open, in 1983. This win earned him an entry to The Open Championship in 1984. He made headlines while playing in the tournament after he took the lead after the 36th hole and held onto it for three rounds until he shot a disastrous round and ultimately finished in ninth place.
In 1985, Ian joined the European Tour and won the 1985 Scandinavian Enterprise Open. He finished in the top 20 rankings on the order of merit in both 1985 and 1986. He also continued to play in Australasia during the Northern Hemisphere winter season. Additionally, he sometimes played on the Japan Golf Tour.
Baker-Finch first played on the PGA Tour as an invitee in 1985. He began to play regularly on the Tour in 1989 after having qualified for tour membership by finishing third in the 1988 World Series of Golf. He won his first PGA Tour title at the 1989 Southwestern Bell Colonial. This win earned him a two-year exemption on the Tour. In 1990, Ian finished in 16th place on the PGA Tour Money list after having finished in second place in three tournaments and in third place in two others.
Though Baker-Finch was playing well throughout the 1980s and had won tournaments on four different continents, he was generally not considered to be a member of the elite group of international golfers. In 1991, he won the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale by beating Mike Harwood by two strokes. This win was considered to be a surprise, as he was not projected to win the competition. The same year, he had three other second-place finishes. He qualified for the Tour Championship with a 13th-place finish on the money list. He ranked briefly in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings in 1991.
After winning the 1991 Open Championship, Ian earned a 10-year exemption from the PGA Tour. In 1992, he secured a second-place finish in The Players Championship. Other than that finish, he never came close to landing another major win on the PGA Tour again. In 1992 and 1993, he did pick up a number of wins in Australia. After this, however, his form and level of play went into an accelerating decline. He often adjusted his swing and began to lose confidence in his game. His last top-10 finish on the PGA Tour was a tie for 10th in the 1994 Masters Tournament.
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After 1994, Baker-Finch suffered from a complete collapse of his game. The problems were generally psychological, as he played very well in practice rounds and on practice ranges but would then fail to perform in actual gameplay. He famously hooked his first-round tee shot at the 1995 Open Championship at St. Andrews. In both 1995 and 1996, Ian either missed the cut, withdrew after one round, or was disqualified in all 29 PGA Tour events he entered. After a particularly bad first round at the 1997 Open at Royal Troon, he withdrew from the competition and retired from tournament golf. He has since stated that he had completely lost confidence in his skills and didn't even want to be around golf courses anymore. He did not return to the game except for serving as the Gary Player's captain's assistant for the International team in the Presidents Cup in 2003, 2005, and 2007.
After leaving professional golf as a competitor, Baker-Finch focused his career on broadcasting and golf course design and management. He was hired by ESPN and ABC Sports to commentate on golf tournaments in 1998. He remained in this role until 2006, and served as the lead analyst for ESPN and as a hole announcer for ABC. In 2007, he was hired by CBS Sports as a hole announcer, a position he still holds today.
Personal Life
Ian has welcomed two daughters, Hayley and Laura, with his wife, Jennie. The family resides in North Palm Beach, Florida, and lives a private life, generally staying out of the public eye.
