Greg Norman was robbed of winning the Masters Green Jacket more than once starting in 1986. On a
wet, rainy Sunday in April 2013, Norman watched as one of his biggest fans,
Adam Scott, got that Green Jacket for Norman and Australia in true Aussie
fashion, namely scrapping and never giving up.
As the sun began to set over Augusta National, not one but
three Australian players had a chance to steal victory from the jaws of lion
hearted Angel Cabrera and his caddie son. Adam Scott, Jason Day and Marc Leishman were on the first page of the leader board as the event was winding to
a close. Or was it?
Cabrera, for his part dropped a shot at the 13th
hole to fall out of the lead only to make birdie at the 16th and
finally the 18th hole to force Aussie Adam Scott to join him on the
water logged 18th tee once again for a Masters playoff that is sure to
be one for the books.
Like throwing darts, both Scott and Cabrera matched each
other shot for shot to par that first sudden death hole.
With the rain pelting down, ever harder, the two titans
strode to the 10th tee at Augusta probably unaware of just how hard
it really was raining.
Two tee shots at the second sudden death hole saw both
players in good approach position to the dangerous 10th green.
Again, shot for shot, both players appeared to be heading to
a third hole with grand pressure shots within birdie range into the 10th
green.
Cabrera couldn’t have hit his putt any better hanging it on
the lip and making par.
As Adam stood over his putt and caddie Stevie Williams, also
from Down Under, New Zealand, wasn’t going to let this slip away from his boss and good friend. Williams gave Scott the correct
read for his winning putt. “We knew it was a right-to-left putt. He said he
thought it was a cup outside, but I told him it broke more than he thought and
it was two cups outside the hole.”
Scott made an absolutely terrific stroke and drilled his
birdie putt, thus ending Australia’s
drought of golf’s Majors and ending the
criticism about Adam Scott’s putting ability.
Yep, Adam did it. Revenge is sweet for all those years and
close calls by Scott’s iconic idle Norman and others through professional golf history.
As darkness fell over Augusta National and this year’s
Masters, finally, the country of Australia, known as Down Under, is now On Top
with a Green Jacket and one of Golf’s jewels in the Masters.
Congratulations Adam and congratulations to Australia.
