COVER STORY | MASTERS TOURNAMENT
Masters Memories
Ian Baker-Finch recalls Adam Scott's dramatic 2013 victory at Augusta National – a win that ended Australia's 77 years of hurt. Story by Paul Prendergast.
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Scott send Augusta – and the whole of Australia – into euphoria following his playoff victory over Angel Cabrera last year 40
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“It was a truly memorable time for me, not just in my time in broadcasting but in the history of Australian golf, to watch Adam Scott win the Masters."
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Clockwise from top: Scott commiserates Cabrera; jacketed-up; Jason Day struggled on the greens in the final round; Ian Baker-Finch is confident that Australians will once again feature prominently at the Masters 42
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or millions Down Under on that Monday morning nearly 12 months ago, the march to a firstever victory by an Australian at the Masters Tournament played out as it had in many years past – a rollercoaster of highs and lows which appeared destined to end in more tragedy. When Jason Day holed a bunker shot for an eagle at the second he appeared destined to be the one to break the duck through his stoic golf on the final day. Day held the lead at the 16th, but when he three-putted from the wet fringe beyond the hole, thoughts of 'here we go again' reverberated around lounge rooms across the nation. The only difference this time was that on this occasion, it was another Australian who took the lead and eventually prevailed after yet more heartstopping moments in a two-hole play-off fiercely contested in falling rain and fading light. When Adam Scott reached skywards after prevailing over the brave Angel Cabrera, the first Australian voice a delirious Australian audience
would hear was that of an equally emotional Ian Baker-Finch, the 1991 British Open champion, in commentary for CBS. “It was a truly memorable time for me, not just in my time in broadcasting but in the history of Australian golf, to watch Adam Scott win the Masters,” Baker-Finch told me recently. “It’s one of the highlights of my announcing career because he’s such a good friend and I know the family so well. It just added to the emotion and he just thoroughly deserves the tag, the mantle, the position of being the first Australian to win. “He’ll handle the status that’s been bestowed on him with great aplomb, as he’s already done over the past 12 months.” For Baker-Finch, the emotion he felt resonates now as it did then when he was caught off guard on the telecast. “Holes 18 and 10 (for the play-off) are not my holes on the CBS telecast, Jim Nantz takes those holes. It’s tricky for me because once the players go through 12 and 13, I’m off air. My microphone is not on to just say something whenever I want; I have to get invited in. “At CBS, they have us all on towers on every hole and I’m in a prestige position there at Amen Corner. The downside of that is once I’m finished, I’m out there in the dark in this tower on my own with my headset on watching events transpire on a little monitor. HKGOLFER.COM
“When Jim Nantz did invite me in to comment after Scott won, it was difficult to speak because I was so caught up in it all. I didn’t realise how emotional I was when I had the chance to say something.” Baker-Finch vividly remembers how much noise there was around the golf course as the players made their way down the second playoff hole, even from his position many hundreds of metres away on his tower at Amen Corner. “I’ve spoken to Adam about it and he said it was so noisy, he and Angel couldn’t talk to each other. When Adam hit that cut 6-iron off the side slope on 10 and Angel gave him the thumbs up, they couldn’t hear each other and that was really the only way that they could communicate. “The sportsmanship between the two was fantastic. They’re both good friends, Presidents Cup teammates and played a lot of golf together. Angel has won a green jacket already so it probably didn’t hurt him too badly but he handled himself really well.” I asked Baker-Finch if he or any of the other Australians at Augusta had the chance after the various presentation ceremonies and media commitments to see Scott and share in the moment. Sadly, the late finish to the event and with the weather turning for the worst, he did not. “I was down on the 12th in the dark and the HKGOLFER.COM
rain and by the time I got back to the CBS compound afterwards, it was all over. It was pouring with rain and there was a big storm closing in so I flew home to Florida at about 9.30 that night. “I talked to Adam the next day and shared phone calls and texts with his father Phil. Grades (Wayne Grady) was also there working for BBC, whether he got a chance to see Adam afterwards, I don’t know.” Baker-Finch is confident the Australians would again feature in 2014 and pointed out how many times over the past few years an Aussie has contended, going back to 2011 when Scott, Day and Geoff Ogilvy were in the top five when Charl Schwartzel won. Stuart Appleby also lead the field in the latter stages of the event some years earlier. “I thought Jason would win last year when he got in front but he just didn’t get it done in the closing stages. I think the next time he gets in that position, he will win. “I interviewed Adam for CBS down at Doral the other week and he’s really relaxed and in good shape. The ominous thing is that he’s feeling very confident with the putter. “He said he’s putting really, really well which is a good sign going into Augusta.” HK GOLFER・APR 2014
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