Sports

5 questions for…Ian Baker-Finch

TNT golf analyst Ian Baker-Finch spoke with The Post’s Justin Terranova and breaks down Tiger Woods’ return to major championship play at the PGA Championship, which begins Thursday.

Q: How important was it for Tiger to play a tournament before the major?

A: It’s imperative. Before you go to a major, you need some sort of understanding of your game. I am sure he will work very hard this week to see where his game is situated, how it is after such a long break. Typically, I would say if you can’t bring your A game with you to a major, you can’t be competitive, but Tiger has proven that wrong a couple of times recently at The Masters. It’s going to be hard for him to be confident going into a major. But, if he couldn’t have played this week in Akron, I doubt very much he would have played the PGA at all.

Q: What kind of chance would you give him at the Atlanta Athletic Club?

A: I think he’s going to be under-prepared going in, but that doesn’t mean you can count him out. There’s a lot of pressure at a major and the course is always set up tough. It’s the middle of the summer in Atlanta, [and] you’re going to have to be fit to put yourself through the grind in that string-snapping heat. All those things add up to make it a trying week. And usually the guys who show up in good form handle it better because they will be a little less stressed.

Q: After a so-so British Open, do you think too much was made out of Rory McIlroy’s dominating U.S. Open performance?

A: The players all know how difficult it is to win majors. You can’t put the pressure on one player to be the next Jack Nicklaus or the next Tiger Woods, who have been doing it for decades. Tiger’s the only one who’s lived up to the billing, but we’ve said it about hundreds of golfers. You just have to put Rory McIlroy at the top of the list, and wait and see.

Q: Any names jump out at you this week?

A: Dustin Johnson is due to win a major. Luke Donald, who is No. 1 in the world, is also due and in great form right now. Matt Kuchar has quite possibly been the best- formed American golfer the last 18 months and he’s a local kid who knows the course well.

Q: And who does this PGA course favor?

A: It’s a very good championship golf course. It doesn’t suit any particular type of player. It tests the difference between the strategic, straight- hitting guys like David Toms, who won the PGA here in 2001, and pits them against the big- hitting guys like [Dustin] Johnson, Gary Woodland.