Vincent E. R. Baker (died July 1990) was a South African

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

. He won the 1973

Benson & Hedges Festival of Golf The Benson & Hedges International Open was a men's professional golf tournament which was played in England. It was founded in 1971 and for its first five years it was called the Benson & Hedges Festival of Golf. It was sponsored by Benson & Hedge ...

on the

European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fift ...

Professional career

Baker played some tournaments in Britain in 1970. He qualified for the

Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

through final qualifying at Carnoustie but missed the cut in the Championship itself at St Andrews. From its formation in 1972 until 1979, Baker was a regular competitor in

events. He won once, in the 1973

. Trailing by 5 shots after three rounds, Baker scored a final round 64 to win by 2 strokes from

Dale Hayes Dale Hayes (born 1 July 1952) is a South African professional golfer. Career outline Hayes won the 15–17 Boys category at the Junior World Golf Championships in 1969. He turned professional the following year and quickly became a successful p ...

. He was twice a runner-up, in the 1973

Scandinavian Enterprise Open The Scandinavian Enterprise Open was a golf tournament on the European Tour that was played in Sweden until 1990, when it had a prize fund of £400,000, which was mid-range for the tour at that time. In 1991, the tournament was merged with fell ...

and in the 1978

Italian Open Italian Open may refer to: *Italian Open (tennis), a Masters 1000 level tennis tournament played in Rome each year. *Italian Open (golf) The DS Automobiles Italian Open ( it, Open d'Italia) is the men's national open golf championship of Italy. It ...

. In addition to his 1970 appearance, Baker played in five further Open Championships between 1973 and 1978, making the cut twice. His best finish was in 1973 when he was tied for 37th place. Baker won the

ICL Transvaal Open The ICL International was a golf tournament in South Africa as part of the South African Tour. International stars like Gary Player, Nick Faldo, and Nick Price won the event. The tournament was initially played at Kensington Golf Club in Johanne ...

in December 1974, beating

Andries Oosthuizen Andries Oosthuizen (born c. 1954) is a South African professional golfer. He played on the European Tour from 1974 to 1977 and finished tied for 12th place in the 1975 Open Championship. Amateur career Oosthuizen won the 1973 South African Amate ...

in a sudden-death playoff. He was also runner-up in a number of important South African tournaments including the South African Open in early 1973, the

South African PGA Championship The South African PGA Championship is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments on the Sunshine Tour. It is generally played in February, depending on the Tour Schedule, with a prize fund of 2 million rand, and is currently held at Eye of Afri ...

in late 1973 and the

South African Masters The South African Masters was one of the most prestigious golf tournaments on the Sunshine Tour. It was last played in 2011. Before its discontinuation, it had a prize fund of 1.2 million rand and was held at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club on ...

in 1975.

Murder

In July 1990, Baker was stabbed to death in a

carjacking Carjacking is a robbery in which the item taken over is a motor vehicle.Michael Cherbonneau, "Carjacking," in ''Encyclopedia of Social Problems'', Vol. 1 (SAGE, 2008: ed. Vincent N. Parrillo), pp. 110-11. In contrast to car theft, carjacking is ...

by three teenagers near

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

Professional wins (2)

European Tour wins (1)

Sunshine Tour wins (1)

*1974

Results in major championships

''Note: Baker only played in The Open Championship.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1975 and 1978 Open Championships)

Team appearances

Double Diamond International The Double Diamond International was a team golf tournament that was played from 1971 to 1977. It was hosted in England for the first three years, and then in Scotland. From 1974 and 1977 the event was preceded by an individual 36-hole stroke pla ...

(representing the Rest of the World): 1972

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Vin South African male golfers Sunshine Tour golfers European Tour golfers Year of birth missing 1990 deaths Date of death missing