Last Sunday afternoon, August 3rd, I watched the final round of the Wyndham Championship held at Sedgefield Country Club in North Carolina. As I watched, I realized that I was witnessing a young man establishing himself as a winner in the form of Cameron Young and an aged veteran making his exit from the golf business in the form of Ian Baker Finch. At the end of the broadcast, emotions were very deep. A 28-year-old man who had been knocking on the door of being the winner of a professional tournament since he was 22 years old, finally decisively won by six shots. His Dad, the head Pro from Sleepy Hollow, watched as his boy knocked in the last putt, which made him the 1,000th winner of a PGA event. The tears in his eyes as he was asked to describe how he felt about ‘finally breaking through’. And then it was also the final broadcast for Ian Baker Finch, who had a great professional career playing the game and then became a great announcer for tournament golf. It is clear to me that he loved everyone involved in the production, all his mates behind the microphone, his family, and the game. The tears streaming down his face and his lips quivering with emotion….one man enters the limelight for the first time and one man exits. Enough for this man to shed a tear and realize how our life’s work impacts us, and the difference of what we do and how we do it affects others. The power of grinding for success, the importance of our family, our friends, and our colleagues in our life’s accomplishments.
Golf indeed gives us those rare moments when the arc of a career—its beginnings, its struggles, its climaxes, and its endings—reveals something about not only the game but about life itself.
Cameron Young: Ascendance Through Perseverance
Cameron Young has long been one of golf’s “next big things,” his promise evident since his amateur days as the son of David Young, the head professional at the historic Sleepy Hollow Country Club. From an early age, Cameron demonstrated not just talent but the resilience that golf demands. His early years on the Korn Ferry Tour were peppered with close calls and several runner-up finishes, earning him a reputation: the man always on the brink, never quite arriving.
But to truly understand Cameron’s trajectory, you must appreciate the burden and privilege of being so close, so often. Each missed chance isn’t just heartbreak; it’s experience. The bravery of constantly returning to the arena, despite the near misses, is its own quiet triumph. Finally capturing his first PGA Tour victory at age 28, in such dominant fashion, was not mere vindication. It was the culmination of years of invisible toil—hours on the practice green, moments with his father, the balancing act between expectation and joy. And, in becoming the 1,000th winner on the Tour, Cameron joined not just the record books, but also a long, storied line of men and women whose victories echo beyond the 18th hole.
Ian Baker-Finch: Elegance in Evolution
Ian Baker-Finch’s story is told in two acts. The first is that of the player—a gifted Australian whose supreme moment came at the 1991 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. His swing was silken, his nature generous, yet after reaching the summit, he faced an inexplicable decline, a struggle with the game that is still referenced as the “yips.” The world watched a major champion battle not his rivals, but his own confidence. It was painful, public, and yet—ultimately—redemptive.
The second act is the more remarkable. Where others might have vanished, Baker-Finch reinvented himself as an announcer, becoming one of the most beloved and insightful voices in golf commentary. He brought understanding, empathy, and dignity—never seeking the spotlight, always magnifying the humanity of the players. His voice became familiar without ever growing stale, his perspective that of the player who knows both the sweetness of victory and the sting of loss.
Parallels: Two Journeys, One Meaning
On the surface, Cameron Young and Ian Baker-Finch might not seem to have much in common—one just starting to fulfill promise, the other gracefully exiting center stage. Yet, in their stories, there are profound parallels:
- Both were built on the foundations of family and mentors.
- Both endured setbacks and internal struggles.
- Both faced expectation—one wrestling to realize it, the other managing the aftershocks of public success.
- Both ultimately touched others, whether through the courage of persistence or the grace of perspective.
The Greater Lesson: The Ripples of Our Efforts
Golf, perhaps more than any other sport, is a mirror. It demands constant reinvention—of our skills, our outlook, our hearts. Whether we win or lose, whether we are cheered or slip away quietly, our efforts matter. Not just for the score, not just for the trophy, but for how we touch those around us.
Cameron Young’s breakthrough isn’t just his; it echoes in every hopeful golfer who aches for that first win, and in every parent who watches, heart in throat, as their child steps into the light. Ian Baker-Finch’s farewell isn’t just about ending a career; it’s a reminder that even after the applause has faded, there is honor in how we support, encourage, and elevate others.
As one man enters, his future bright and unwritten, and another steps aside—work complete, legacy secure—we are left with the truest lesson of all: Our lives are richest where our battles, struggles, joys, and farewells have made a difference for someone else. In golf, as in life, the measure is never simply in the winning—it is in the lasting touch, the way our journey matters in the lives of others.
The magnetism of a Sunday afternoon at the Wyndham Championship wasn’t only in the shots played or the trophies awarded, but in the broader stories of beginnings and graceful exits, of building and preserving legacies. Just as Cameron Young’s victory marks the exhilarating promise of new success, and Ian Baker-Finch’s farewell signals the dignity of closing a remarkable chapter, managing life’s transitions requires both vision and stewardship.
Wealth management is not unlike navigating a golf career. For the emerging professional—Cameron Young is just stepping into the limelight—thoughtful planning can lay foundations for growth. This means helping structure the first contracts, designing investment strategies, and setting up the prudent habits that turn early momentum into lasting security. It’s about building for the future while attending to the ambitions and dreams that will define life’s next phase.
For the seasoned veteran—like Ian Baker-Finch, concluding a storied career—the focus gracefully shifts. Now, the question becomes: How can the wealth earned, and the values shaped over a lifetime be translated into impact for loved ones, for family foundations, for causes that have become close to the heart? Distribution and legacy planning, charitable giving, and generational wealth transfer all become paramount, ensuring that one’s accumulated work becomes a source of enduring meaning.
Whether at the thrilling outset or the reflective apex of a career, wealth management is about more than numbers: it is about designing a life and a legacy with intention. In golf, like in life, wise guidance at each turn ensures that every shot counts—not just for today, but for years and generations to come. As we watch one player rise and another exit, we are reminded that how we plan for our success, and how we prepare to share it, can create ripples far beyond our own scorecard.