In the fall of 2008, Cyclone men's golfer Chris Baker (’08) stepped onto the field of Jack Trice Stadium as Iowa State’s male athlete of the year. Baker returns to the same field this fall to celebrate his induction into the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame. But the journey hasn’t always been easy — five years after he graduated, Baker’s pro golf career was nearly over.
“There are guys you see on TV that make it straight from college to winning on the PGA Tour, but that wasn’t me,” Baker says.
After some success on mini-tours, Baker found himself searching online job boards and facing an exit from professional golf.
“2012 and 2013 were the two toughest years for me,” Baker says. “I was done. I was out of money, and I wasn’t willing to go into debt to play golf.” Baker found himself back in Iowa, preparing to play in one of the last tournaments he had already paid the entry fee for.
Baker won the Greater Cedar Rapids Open and, with it, a $20,000 check. His career trajectory changed course from there. With his winnings, he paid the bills and signed up for Q School (a qualifying tournament to continue his journey to the PGA Tour).
“For most of my time playing professionally, there wasn’t job security; if I didn’t play well, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do the next year,” Baker says. “It was daunting, but I knew I could make it, and I was willing to do whatever I needed to.”
Sheer determination, stubbornness, a strong support group, and a lifelong dream to do something no Cyclone had accomplished before kept Baker going.
In 2019, Baker earned his PGA Tour Card at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in Newburgh, Indiana, becoming a 33-year-old PGA Tour rookie, with friends, family, and his now wife, Kristen, cheering him on.
“Getting your PGA Tour card is a thrill,” Baker says. “But being able to get the tour card just two hours from my hometown (Brownstown, Indiana) — I couldn’t make it up any better.”
Baker’s professional successes include being the only Cyclone to earn a PGA Tour Card (2019–21), a top-30 finish at the U.S. Open — the best finish by a Cyclone in a major (2021) — four professional event wins, and $1.4 million in career earnings.
“I treasure my time at Iowa State and owe a lot of my success in my professional career to what I learned here,” Baker says.
Throughout Baker’s career, he always looked out for fellow Cyclones in professional golf and made time to visit with the Cyclone men’s golf team. Baker carried that same spirit into his next chapter as he retired from full-time competitive golf in 2025.
“I am proud to be a part of Iowa State Athletics. I love to see Iowa State golfers do well,” Baker says. “I know I was the first Cyclone to make the PGA Tour, but I want more to make it. I want to see other Iowa State golfers have that same success.”
