Australians have made such a habit of losing the Masters that it is only fair they should finally win one. And that was exactly the case in the early hours of this morning as Adam Scott beat Angel Cabrera in a play-off to win the illustrious Green Jacket at Masters 2013 and play his way into Masters history and with it Australian sporting history. 

“Gold, gold, gold!” is traditionally the sporting cry in Australia when the country celebrates Olympic success, but last night the shouts were of “green, green, green!” as Scott picked up arguably Golf’s most wished after prize.

Adam Scott

Heading into the fourth and final round there were three Australian golfers who were in with a chance of ending one of sport’s most famous hoodoos. On eight occasions during a 77-year drought, Australians have been runner-up at Augusta, which helped explain the overnight headline in the Australian newspaper: “Three Aussies share US Masters Burden.”

Therefore it was understandable that at 9.37am on the Australian eastern seaboard there was great relief as Adam Scott sank a beautiful 12-foot putt to beat Argentine Cabrera. The crowd erupted on the 10th green –second hole of the play-off – as the demons, that caused Scott’s collapse in the closing holes of the Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes last summer, disappeared.

On the bigger scale, Scott has gone where his hero and mentor, Greg Norman, could not. Few will begrudge the 32-year-old his glory, including Cabrera going by the gracious exchanges between the pair as Scott holed out for the Green Jacket.

The constant rainfall had quietened a usually rapturous Augusta crowd, with spectators holding onto their umbrellas instead of clapping, and with Scott missing birdie chance after birdie chance all afternoon he could be depicted as the first player in with a genuine opportunity of winning the Masters without holing a putt.

That all changed on the 18th green, where Scott holed out for a birdie from 20ft which brought the crowd alive. As he hugged and high-fived his caddie, Steve Williams, there was a glance towards history and back to Cabrera’s position in the middle of the fairway. But Cabrera pulled out a fabulous response under pressure. An approach shot to 4ft, tap in, and walk to join Scott in a sudden death situation at eight under par for the tournament.

The subsequent play-off was full of drama that wasn’t seen for large periods throughout the final day. Scott putted for the Green Jacket on the 10th and as we say in sport, the rest is history. Much like British tennis fans have longed feared they might never see a home-grown star life the men’s title at Wimbledon, Australian golf fans have suffered the same agony over the Masters.

However, for them, the wait is over. Adam Scott has become an Australian national hero and his story of winning the Green Jacket will be told for many years to come as it goes down in Australian sporting history.

For years in Australia, the Baggy Green cap worn by Australian cricketers has been the most sacred piece of sporting fabric. Now, finally, it has a rival in Adam Scott’s tailored Green Jacket.
The Australian hoodoo at the Masters has been broken.