John Conley:
I'm definitely not serious if Ian has finally straightened out his accuracy, particularly off the tee. Some say they just couldn't believe what happened to him--he couldn't hit a 75 yd wide fairway if his life depended on it. I hope he corrected that but if not he was a total mess and not one who could compete well at all in anything. Maybe you never heard about this tragic development. The reason that happened I believe was due to an eye injury but maybe he's done something about that. Ian Baker Finch was one of the truly great guys who ever played the tour in my book!
Tom:
Ian Baker-Finch, like Scott Hoch, has a reputation that has been greatly exaggerated. He hit one O.B. - I believe LEFT on #1 at St. Andrews - and all of a sudden "couldn't hit a 75 yd wide fairway if his life depended on it". Yeah, right.
He obviously was unable to compete on Tour. He didn't turn into a hack. I know the guy who finished last this week at Doral. Not a friend, but I know him and have played with him. He had two rounds in the 80s on Thursday and Friday - a whopping three days after shooting either 63 or 65 to Monday qualify. (I'm told he was not at the site where two 67s got through.) Tour setup is not what the club golfer faces.
A five-handicap averages about 80 on a 6600 yard course. Their best rounds are in the mid 70s and occassionally they'll scare par. IBF may not have been shooting those scores on Tour, but he sure did in "friendlies". My money is on Finch every day of the week. Even against a 0 handicap club player.
As for one of the nicest guys ever, did you notice how he became nicer when he couldn't play? Don't know him and he is by all accounts a great guy, but full disclosure should include this story.
Just after his peak and position as one of the World's Top Ten players, Finch was playing in the U.S. Open at Hazeltine. Made the cut on the number and was "odd man out" Saturday morning. The U.S.G.A. offered him the use of a marker. I don't want to play with any amateur, he said.
Fast forward a year to that amateur's presence on the next Walker Cup team and subsequent victory in the U.S. Amateur. Several more Walker Cups followed and he now plays the Champions Tour. He may be far too nice a guy to say it, but I reckon he wouldn't want to play with Finch now either.The best/hottest Tour pros would carry handicaps of +10 or better. Average Tour pros are in the +5 to +6 range. Today's college players are +2 and +3. All could see huge drops in the level of their play and still destroy your 8 and 9 handicaps - players who need their best day to score on the better side of 80 from Members tees.