The CBS Golf booth is about to grow one legend lighter.
Ian Baker-Finch, the former major-winner and longtime voice of golf on CBS, announced his retirement from the booth after 19 years with CBS.
“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,” Baker-Finch said in a release announcing his retirement. “To my CBS Sports family — my teammates, producers, directors, and crew — thank you for your extraordinary talent, dedication, and camaraderie. You’ve made every moment in the booth a joy, transforming broadcasts into cherished memories. To my colleagues across the industry and golf fans around the world, your support and shared love for this game over these decades have meant everything.”
Baker-Finch, 64, will work out the remainder of CBS Sports’ 2025 golf season before riding off into the sunset. He will conclude his career in the booth at both this week’s 3M Open and next week’s Wyndham Championship. It is not yet known how CBS will manage its on-air roster in Baker-Finch’s absence, though the network has traditionally waited until retiring legends were off the air to announce their replacements.
“As I step away, I carry with me immense gratitude and pride for the moments we’ve shared on and off the course,” Baker-Finch said. “Here’s to new adventures and the enduring love of golf.”
As a golfer and as a broadcaster, Baker-Finch leaves behind a legacy as one of the sport’s most fascinating figures. The Aussie joined the booth for ESPN and ABC in 1998 after suddenly retiring from golf after one round of the 1997 Open Championship. His Thursday 92 at the ’97 Open was the culmination of several years of psychological challenges following his lone major victory at the ’91 Open — a stretch that led Baker-Finch to entertain the idea of working in television.
He entered the booth for ESPN in ’98 and quickly ingratiated himself to golf fans with a mix of acerbic wit and steady analysis. In 2006, Baker-Finch carried the same skillset to CBS, joining as a so-called “hole announcer” alongside Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo, a role he has maintained to this day.
“As a major champion during his successful playing career and over three decades in broadcasting, Ian Baker-Finch distinguished himself as one of the most respected and trusted voices in golf,” CBS Sports CEO David Berson said in the same statement. “As he announces his retirement, we’ll miss his passion, insight, warmth and steady presence on the air but know he will continue to make his mark across the world of golf. Finchy will always be part of the CBS Sports family, and we thank him for being an incredible teammate and friend.”
