Ian Baker-Finch, the man who has been making headlines in recent days, was also a golfer who left a positive mark on the world of this sport.
However, his beginnings were anything but easy.
Back then, the young golfer encountered various barriers, and the monetary prizes at the tournaments were so minimal that it was difficult to play this sport at all.
However, his hunger and desire to succeed was stronger than anything else.
Baker-Finch and his colleagues traveled through Australia in a minibus full of golfers, and only two of them managed to leave a more significant mark: he and Wayne Grady.
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Even as a kid, Baker-Finch dreamed, believing that one day he would be a professional.
It was really my goal in life early on, was to be a golf professional, and I achieved that, Baker-Finch said, as quoted by Pro Golf Now.
I just wanted to be a club professional that could play occasionally and maybe even one day play in a British Open because that's what my great mentor and idol Peter Thomson had done.
Baker-Finch's success
Baker-Finch had the opportunity to play with the greats of the sport, and the advice of one of his colleagues was the foundation of his future success. While playing in Australia, Baker-Finch realized that he had the potential to compete with the greats for major trophies, deciding to win the British Open.
Although aware that it was an extremely difficult task, the Australian golfer came to victory at the prestigious tournament in 1991.
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However, after that, a huge decline followed, and poor performances shook Baker-Finch's confidence.
That really made me realize that, hey, I can do this. Maybe I should be playing internationally, he said.
"It was the start of my then refigured and rejuvenated goal of winning The Open Championship. And I was always goal-oriented, and I wrote my goals down, and for every goal, you've got 10 steps, and for every step, youve got 10 steps to that step.
Six years after his magnificent victory, the Australian decided to devote himself to a TV career and commentary, frustrated by poor performances and setbacks.
The Australian started working for CBS Sports, and ended his commentary career this year, leaving a deep mark.
