“No one loves the game more than Finchy.” That’s what PGA Tour Pro and CBS reporter Ian Baker-Finch said through tears when he announced his broadcasting retirement last month. Fans will see him for the final time at the Wyndham Championship on August 3rd. This is the end of a chapter in his life. But for golf? It was an entire legacy of over 40 years! From winning the Open Championship in 1991 to carving out one of golf’s most beloved voices, Baker-Finch has truly delivered one of the richest careers, on and off the course. But what’s kept him grounded all these years is the quiet strength of the life he’s built off the course. Through the highs, the collapses, and the long years on the road. Let’s learn more about the golfing veteran’s wife, Jennie.
Who is Jennie?
Ian Baker-Finch’s journey through professional golf—and later, broadcasting—has always had one steady companion: his wife, Jennie. The two built a life together long before the spotlight of Royal Birkdale in 1991, where Jennie was right there as he claimed his Open Championship victory. And when the spotlight dimmed during his career’s most difficult stretch, she never wavered. At the 1997 Open, after Baker-Finch carded a devastating 92, it was Jennie who stood quietly beside him. Recalling the moment, Finch 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.”
Now living in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with their daughters Hayley and Laura, Jennie remains the quiet anchor behind a life spent in golf’s ever-turning spotlight.
Jennie’s Steady Support During Ian’s Struggles
Ian Baker-Finch’s life has been anything but easy, with struggles that forged the resilient figure we know today. Finch went through one of the darkest stretches of his life following his win at the Open 1991. Ian constantly missed cuts through a relentless, unbroken streak. When everything felt against Finch, one person showed him comfort that he couldn’t find from the media. His wife Jennoe. She watched his rise to the pinnacle of golf. But just a few years later, she found herself supporting him through an emotional collapse. As missed cuts piled up and self-doubt crept in, it was Jennie who steadied the ship at home. She kept life going at home while Ian continued his battle on the grounds.
By the mid-1990s, his decline was impossible to ignore. He missed ten straight cuts in 1994 and fifteen more the following year. At home in Orlando, the family settled into an unspoken routine—Jennie and the kids would stay behind as Ian headed out for another event, only for him to return early most Fridays after another early exit. “I would just leave Ian alone,” she later recalled. The pressure was suffocating, but she never added to it. Her quiet understanding gave Ian the space he needed, even as the game he once dominated became a source of pain.
When the final blow came at the 1997 Open—where he shot a devastating 92 in the first round and withdrew in tears—it was Jennie who absorbed it with him. Their daughters weren’t old enough to understand what their father was going through. But Jennie understood. And she stayed alongside Finch through his biggest ditch in his entire career. Looking back, Finch feels grateful to have such a supportive wife, without whom we might not have witnessed one of the greatest golfing legends.
Ian Baker-Finch has now taken on a peaceful life after his retirement announcement from the CBS.
Peaceful Fairways: Life After CBS for Ian and Jennie
Away from the pressures of the broadcast booth and the roars of championship crowds, Ian Baker-Finch is embracing a more peaceful rhythm alongside his wife, Jennie. The couple recently visited the Kinloch Club in New Zealand, where golf was no longer about performance—it was about pure enjoyment. Walking the windswept fairways of the Jack Nicklaus-designed course, Ian reconnected with the reasons he first fell in love with the game: joy, challenge, and serenity.
Now retired from CBS, Baker-Finch has turned his attention to travel, reflection, and spending time with his family. With Jennie, he’s rediscovering golf not as a job, but as a passion—choosing destinations for their beauty, not for broadcast. Whether it’s a relaxed round at Kinloch or a quiet morning in North Palm Beach, the cameras may be gone—but their life has never felt more alive.
The post Who Is Ian Baker-Finch’s Wife, Jennie? Personal Life of PGA Tour Pro Turned CBS Broadcaster Explored appeared first on EssentiallySports.
