“I’ll miss it as well; I’ll miss all of you. It’s been a great run though,” said one of golf’s most familiar voices on television, Ian Baker-Finch. His voice caught with emotion as he prepared to sign off from a 3-decade-long journey in golf broadcasting. With tears welling in his eyes, Finch reflected on the unexpected path that led him from the fairways to the commentary booth during a recent appearance on a recent episode of 5 Clubs.
As Finch prepares to call his final event at the upcoming Wyndham Championship in North Carolina this week, he joined Gary Williams to share how stepping away from the game, first temporarily, opened the door to a second act he never anticipated. “Yeah, I would say for a couple of years, I was, uh … obviously, anxious about my game. I couldn’t figure out why it was happening. Obviously, it became a mental issue at the very end, where I would talk myself into hitting a shot out of bounds whenever I saw white stakes down the left. Uh, it became a frustration. Uh, once again, I would still go play golf with my buddies. I never… it wasn’t the game. It was more me,” the 1991 Open Champion said.
Ian started his professional golf career in 1979 and grew up in the same neighborhood as Greg Norman. While he managed to rack up 17 wins in his entire career, Finch eventually retired from the game in 1997 after withdrawing from The Open at Royal Troon, having shot 20-over-par. Before this, he struggled heavily to make cuts. From 1994 to 1997, he missed 32 consecutive cuts. In an exclusive interview with Fox Sports, he opened up about his mental struggles.
Finch revealed that after the ’91 Open win, he felt pressured to play similarly, but he failed to understand “you don’t play like that all the time.” “You play like that occasionally, and you have the ability when you do really well to win big tournaments, but you don’t always play that way. I was a bit hard on myself thinking I needed to,” he told Fox Sports. “That was just mental. How does that happen? How do you play well enough to make the cut and be in the tournament but mess up the last hole or somehow make a mess of things and miss the cut by a shot?” he shared. He tried meditation and yoga to help his mental pressure, but nothing helped. While part of the reason was the mental game, Finch expressed how a break because of injuries that year eventually changed his entire career’s trajectory.
The mental pressure took a toll on his body. He had to go to rehab for a few issues in 1996. “Uh, and then when I decided to step away from the game, I had injuries I needed to fix. And, uh, it was sort of a six-month process, maybe even a year-long process, as it turned out. And I did the television back home while I was convalescing and doing my, uh, rehabbing, etc., and, uh, sort of fell in love with the TV side of things,” Ian told 5 Clubs’s host. That love turned into a career. From humble beginnings on Australian broadcasts to high-profile spots with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and ultimately CBS in 2007, Finch found a rhythm in the booth that had eluded him in his final playing days.
Ian Baker-Finch today announced his retirement from broadcasting golf after an incredible 30-year run, the past 19 with CBS Sports.
Baker-Finch will work CBS Sports’ final two tournaments of the Network’s 2025 season, with his last broadcast coming at the Wyndham Championship… pic.twitter.com/vzWQAxXauW
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) July 22, 2025
“I was quite competent, I gather, because they kept hiring me anyway,” he joked with humility. “And, you know, that’s what was really my fallback if I couldn’t come back to play, which I proved I couldn’t. I did the television, and I’ve turned it into another career, and one that I’ve really, truly loved, and forged many great relationships and friendships,” Finch reflected on his 19-year relationship with CBS and his 30-year-long journey in the industry.
But beyond the years and titles, what truly defined his career was something far simpler—a deep and enduring love for the game itself.
Ian Baker-Finch’s enduring bond with golf
As Ian Baker-Finch looked back on his journey in golf television, what rang through most clearly wasn’t regret over a playing career cut short by mental struggles, but a deep, unwavering love for the game itself. “Golf has been an enormous part of my life. I was fortunate to compete against the best players in the game and, more recently, work with the very best in television,” he said in his announcement. That love didn’t fade when the competitive fire withered; it simply found a new outlet. “I love it; I love the game,” he said. It was this passion that transformed him from a major champion into a fan-favorite voice in the booth. His joy for golf, its drama, its beauty, and its community was infectious, and it made every broadcast feel personal.
That same passion made walking away at age 64 all the more difficult. For Finch, stepping down from broadcasting meant not only leaving the camaraderie of the CBS team but also losing his weekly connection with fans. “I really will miss calling those moments to the fans at home. We’re here to entertain you, to bring you the pictures, the stories, and the drama of golf from beautiful venues around the world,” he said with emotion. As he signs off from CBS for the final time next week, one thing is clear—Ian Baker-Finch may be retiring from the booth, but his voice and impact will echo in the world of golf for years to come.
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