After wife's kidney transplant and recovery, Chris Baker cards second-round 61 at Simmons Bank Open

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – The last two years haven’t been easy for Chris and Kristen Baker, but they’re stronger for it.

Kristen Baker underwent a kidney transplant in June 2023, with her mom as the donor, leading to a 12-week recovery period and a permanently altered nutrition regimen (e.g. no more sushi). The Veritex Bank Championship in April was Baker’s final competitive start of 2023, as he took the remainder of the year off to be with his wife as she underwent the transplant and worked back to full strength.

Kristen Baker, a pharmacist, returned to work full-time after her recovery, and she’s in attendance at this week’s Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, just her third tournament on-site since her recovery. She brought good vibes, too. Baker carded a second-round, 9-under 61 at Vanderbilt Legends Club’s North Course, moving into a share of fourth place as he eyes a push up the season-long standings at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals’ second leg. Baker entered the week at No. 91 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List; the top 30 after the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance will earn 2025 PGA TOUR membership.

It had been a great day for Baker, 38, with his swing coach TJ Yeaton on the bag, punctuated by a 14-footer for par on the long par-4 18th hole after his tee shot found the pond right of the fairway. It had been a while since he conducted a post-round interview, he laughed as he approached the podium, and he fielded questions about his season so far, his improved putting and the increasing depth in professional golf. Then he was asked about last year’s competitive hiatus (which began with a WD from the HomeTown Lenders Championship in late April). Baker explained it was for family reasons, then paused before realizing that Kristen would be happy for the story to be shared. He teared up and took some time to compose himself before explaining the context of his hiatus.

Baker was incredibly proud of his wife, the sentiment made clearer through his authentic, emotional words Friday. It came from everything – admiration of her resiliency, appreciation of life, and the chance to return to professional golf. All of it. Friday’s second-round 61 meant an opportunity to share their story, and although it wasn’t easy, it came with gratitude.

“It’s been a crazy process,” Baker said Friday, “but we’ve learned a lot about each other and grown. We’re blessed. I’m not here to be philosophical by any means, but it (life) can be taken from me in a second and can change in a second … She’s done incredible. I look up to her, and the stuff that she went through … I can’t put it into words, because it was amazing.

“Kidney donation, if it is something that’s in your path, it changes someone’s life … Silver lining is, I was able to sit out the year, get myself healthy, get her healthy. It was the best thing that could have happened.”

Kristen Baker underwent the transplant at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) on June 21, 2023, and returned to work full-time just 12 weeks later. She had known for roughly a decade that the procedure was in her future, and circumstances dictated this was the right time. A tough situation was lightened by her mom’s ability and willingness to donate the kidney.

“The crazy thing with my story … is I had zero symptoms, no other health issues. I was a completely healthy person otherwise,” Kristen Baker said. “I had no other health issues at all, and I went for a pre-employment physical and had labs done and that's how it was found. So that's especially important with kidney disease, because most people don't have symptoms and then by the time it's found is by the time they need to like start getting work up for transplants, so that's why it's important always to go to your doctor get your labs done, whether you feel good or bad.

“Organ donation is one of the most important things out of all of this,” she continued. “Obviously it’s not easy for everybody to have a match. My mom was my match, but it's a very easy process for people to go sign up to be an organ donor.”

Baker’s WD from the 2023 HomeTown Lenders had a silver lining – it opened a spot for Trace Crowe, who finished T11 and proceeded to win the NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank later in the summer. Crowe earned his first TOUR card via PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry that fall.

The butterfly effect was also responsible for Baker meeting his now-wife. Baker held conditional status on the 2016 Korn Ferry Tour and stood T25 late Sunday at the United Leasing & Finance Championship (with the top 25 advancing to the next event). Baker was bumped to T26 when J.T. Poston chipped in for eagle on the 72nd hole (finishing T23, kick-starting a run to Special Temporary Membership and an eventual TOUR card). It kept Baker out of the next week’s field; he returned to his then-residence outside Jacksonville, Florida, where he met Kristen the following week.

Good can come from anything, and the Bakers look forward to sharing their message of the importance of organ donation, now and in the future. Some more 61s won’t hurt that cause either – this weekend and on the road back to the PGA TOUR.

“It’s just day-by-day, but that one-year mark (June 21) was incredible,” Baker said Friday. “And to have her here with me this week is very special. With the support system we have, it’s awesome.”

“It makes you see the positive out of everything,” Kristen Baker added. “It’s a hard thing we went through, but to see the positive and to see us on the other side of it, and you know that people can do hard things and come out on the other side of it for the better … is how it changes your perspective.”