The Masters has always been known for fantastic finishes in the final round, and this year’s tournament did not disappoint. There were many players who had a chance to win on Sunday, and the quality of the shots hit was matched only by the quality of the course, which was in prime condition despite the inclement weather it faced on Sunday. From the time the leaders teed off until the final putt dropped it was truly a thrilling conclusion, and it took a playoff to determine the champion. It was a satisfying end to a Masters tournament that will go down in history for more than one reason, but before getting into that, congratulations are in order for Adam Scott, who claimed the Green Jacket after battling through 72 regulation holes and two rainy playoff holes, where he displayed a calmness under pressure many doubted he was capable of.
After the bitter disappointment Adam Scott suffered here a couple years ago, falling in his Masters bid to a frenzy of birdies by Charl Schwartzel, and the more recent heartbreak of last summer’s Open Championship, this victory must be even more special for him. At Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s last year, he looked for all the world to be in control of the Open Championship, before tripping up on the final stretch and handing the tournament to Ernie Els, a personal friend of his. When Els was accepting the Claret Jug, he mentioned that Scott’s time would come, and this assertion was validated today with Scott’s breakthrough.
Adam Scott has been a sort of “chosen one” figure since he burst onto the scene in 2004 with his win at The Players Championship, and this has undoubtedly been a difficult burden for him to bear. The way that Rory McIlroy has stormed his way to such early victories at the majors was what people expected of Scott, but success at the most prestigious tournaments was slower coming for the soft spoken Aussie. Through all the doubt and despair that must have plagued him over the years, Scott never complained or made himself into a laughing-stock, as his friend Sergio Garcia, a player of similar age, talent, and expectations, was known to do at times. Scott has always handled himself as a true professional, with class and dignity, and his long-suffering has finally paid off with a win on the biggest stage in the game.
As big as Adam Scott’s major breakthrough is, the win had a broader significance, specifically for how it pertains to Australian golf. Australia has a history of being a great sporting nation, and has produced some of the finest golfers in history, from Peter Thompson, the five time Open Champion, to Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champion. Jason Day and Marc Leishman also had the chance to win this year’s Masters for the Aussies, illustrating the strength of Australian golf right now. But by far the most famous Australian golfer of all is Greg Norman, a man who won multiple majors and near countless tournaments worldwide, but was never able to capture the most elusive trophy in the game – the Green Jacket. Norman had many chances to win The Masters, but was always struck by calamity before he could take the final, crucial step. Norman lost to Nick Faldo when he collapsed in the final round, and to Larry Mize when Mize holed an improbable pitch on a playoff hole, and again to Jack Nicklaus’ remarkable back nine charge in 1986. These are just a some of Norman’s most famous close calls at Augusta, a place where he always seemed to play well, but was also snake-bitten when it mattered most. This consistent, depressing shortcoming at Augusta morphed into something of a national obsession for Australian golfers and golf fans, who coveted a Masters victory more than any of the other four majors. Now, at last, the Australian curse at Augusta has been lifted, just when it seemed it might never happen. To paraphrase Ian Baker-Finch, who is himself an Australian golfer and a major champion, a man from Down Under now stands at the top of the golf world.
The player who was defeated in the playoff, Angel Cabrera, is a former Masters and US Open Champion, and seems to only play well in the biggest tournaments. It is as though Cabrera cannot generate enough interest in the regular tour events, on either the PGA or European Tours, to play his best golf. That changes when the majors role around, though, and Cabrera instantly becomes a serious contender. The big, hefty, chain-smoking Argentinian goes by the nickname of “El Pato,” meaning “The Duck,” and it looked as if the Duck would tame the wet and rainy greens of Augusta again, but his bid fell just short thanks to Scott’s clutch putting. The birdie putt that Scott made on the 72’nd hole of the tournament to take the solo lead was one of the best clutch putts in recent memory, but Cabrera seemed unfazed, and answered by hitting his approach on 18 to a couple feet, matching the birdie and forcing a playoff. On the first playoff hole, Cabrera narrowly missed a chip in birdie before eventually being defeated on the second playoff hole by Scott’s all important birdie. If that chip had fallen on the 73’rd hole, the story would have been very different, and Cabrera would have essentially punched his ticket to the Golf Hall of Fame by capturing his third major title. Instead, Adam Scott has his first major as he marches towards a possible Hall of Fame career for himself.
Jason Day also raised a strong challenge this week, and actually held the lead with only three holes to play before two costly bogeys at 16 and 17 ended his chances. Still, don’t be surprised if Day is seen near the top of a major championship leaderboard again very soon, as he looks to have both the talent and the moxy required of a major champion. Brandt Snedeker also came up just short, fighting his putter all day during the final round. Despite this, Snedeker made even more fans for himself this week with his fine play and youthful demeanour, and the defending FedEx Cup champ has again proven that he is a force to be reckoned with.
Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Matt Kuchar all finished inside the Top 10, adding the 2013 Masters to their long lists of majors they almost won but failed to do so. It appears to be only a matter of time before one or all of these players wins their first major, but time is beginning to run out for all of them, and it would behoove every one of them to take care of business sooner rather than later. Finishing just outside the Top 10 were major champions Ernie Els, David Toms and Freddie Couples, who are all getting up there in age but showed they still have what it takes to play well at the biggest stage in the game. Not far behind these players was Rory McIlroy, who played well this week save for the back nine on Saturday, where two disastrous sevens on his scorecard left him out of contention. It seems inconceivable that he could go his whole career without winning The Masters, but keep in mind that people said the same thing about Greg Norman, and words and expectations do not win tournaments. Nevertheless, I believe Rory will go on to capture his own share of glory at Augusta in future years, and at any rate it is good to see his game starting to round into form at last, having already lost the World Number One ranking due to his lacklustre play.
As for the current World Number One, Tiger Woods finished in a tie for 4’th place, staging a somewhat hollow charge on Sunday that was ultimately a day late and a dollar short. Tiger, who was playing under a shroud of controversy after the Competition Committee’s contentious decision not to disqualify him, wasn’t able to get anything going on the weekend following the incident, and may now regret his decision to play on, given his ultimate fate this week. While the Committee chose to grant him clemency, despite his having broken the rules, if he had chosen to Voluntarily Withdraw, it would have significantly enhanced his legacy as a true champion of the game. Bobby Jones’ famous 1925 incident where he called a penalty on himself stands as perhaps his greatest legacy, and Tiger was presented with a similar opportunity this week, and from my perspective anyway, he failed the test afforded to him by the game. Now this stands as but another example of Tiger’s questionable ethics, and he has nothing to show for it except for a T4, which is basically meaningless to him.
Putting all of that aside, the day belonged to Adam Scott and every Australian golf fan, who have all waited a long time for this moment to finally come to fruition. It was Greg Norman who inspired the generation of young Australian golf superstars that are now coming to dominate the PGA Tour, and I can’t help but think that somewhere, Greg is putting his feet up, mixing himself a drink, and smiling a wry smile. This victory belongs, in a small part, to him.
But there is only one true champion, and Adam Scott has earned everything he has now attained, through all the long hours of work and dedication, pushing through pain, through doubt, through all that resisted him on his path. He handled himself like a true champion, and a gentleman of the highest class, and it is no stretch to say that Bobby Jones would be very pleased having him as the winner of his tournament. Adam Scott is now the proud owner of a Green Jacket, and while this would, in other circumstances, constitute a serious fashion faux pas, in this circumstance and at this club, it is the very height of style, and the only thing to say is, as the Aussie’s put it, “Good on ya, mate!”
