Baker-Finch turned professional in the year that Graham claimed his first major championship – the 1979 US PGA Championship at Oakland Hills – and the pair would become linked together forever 12 years later when the dashing Queenslander triumphed at Royal Birkdale.

As we near the culmination of our search for Australia’s Greatest Golfer, Graham and Baker-Finch face off for a place in the semi-finals, their careers defined by the greatest accomplishment golf can offer and personal struggles that made their feats even more noteworthy.

By the time of the 1991 Open Championship Graham had flirted with taking possession of the Claret Jug himself a number of times, leading late in the final round in 1985 before three late bogeys saw him finish in a tie for third.

The 1991 Open would be Graham’s 19th and final appearance in the game’s oldest championship and he would play a prominent role in deciding the outcome.

Renowned for his club-making skill honed under the expert eye of George Naismith at Riversdale Golf Club in Melbourne, Graham had worked on club designs with Jack Nicklaus before being approached by Daiwa to develop a new line of clubs that would meet the demands of the game’s best players.

“Ian wasn’t happy with the equipment and he told Daiwa to bring me on board as a consultant to try and make some better clubs,” Graham reflected.

“I signed a little design deal with Daiwa, made a few trips to Japan and talked with their engineers and they were a great company to work with.

“When you design golf clubs and people like Jack Nicklaus are winning tournaments with stuff that you helped build, that’s really satisfying.”

Hard work and an unrelenting pursuit of perfection drove Graham to the very top of world golf, defeating Ben Crenshaw in a playoff to earn his first major title and then two years later producing a ball-striking display at Merion hailed the world over on his way to the 1981 US Open crown, the first Australian to win America’s flagship event.

Although five Australian male players have won major championships in the US since Graham’s US Open title 39 years ago, no one has won two separate US majors, ensuring Graham’s legacy as one of our country’s most accomplished players of all time.

When Baker-Finch made his maiden appearance at The Open in 1984 the golf world was immediately struck by the bronzed Aussie who stunned the world’s best to take the 36-hole lead and stay there as the final round commenced.

An unfortunate break on the opening hole at St Andrews set ‘IBF’ on a downward trajectory that day but he would join the game’s greats as an Open champion seven years later, guaranteeing his place in the history books.

Now a highly regarded TV analyst for CBS, Baker-Finch won all over the world throughout his career with victories on the PGA TOUR, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour and, of course, here at home.

His three-stroke win at the 1983 New Zealand Open earned his place at St Andrews the following year while his 13-stroke margin of victory at the 1984 New South Wales Open remains one of Australian golf’s most remarkable feats, his 15-under total at The Lakes and demolition of the field comparing favourably with Tiger Woods’ US Open exhibition at Pebble Beach 16 years later.

David Graham
Career wins: 38
Major wins: 2 (1979 US PGA Championship, 1981 US Open)
PGA TOUR wins: 8
European Tour wins: 1
Australasian Tour wins: 6
Australian Open: Won (1977)

Ian Baker-Finch
Career wins: 17
Major wins: 1 (1991 Open Championship)
PGA TOUR wins: 2
European Tour wins: 2
Australasian Tour wins: 10
Australian Open: 2nd (1983)
Australian PGA: Won (1993)