AUGUSTA, Ga. — When Adam Scott rolled in a 20-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the 2013 Masters, he screamed out, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!”
It was more a show of support than a spontaneous act of self-indulgence. His birdie had given him a temporary lead, but fellow Australians Jason Day and Marc Leishman were also in the hunt to win a green jacket.
Angel Cabrera of Argentina would make a birdie of his own at the 18th to tie Scott and force a playoff. But Scott made birdie on the second playoff hole to become the first Australian to win the Masters after his countrymen had endured eight second-place finishes and Greg Norman’s meltdown in 1996. Scott would like nothing better than make it back-to back victories.
“As much as the pressure’s off, you can put the pressure on yourself as well, that you know you can win and you expect yourself to win,” Scott said recently. “So, you’ve got to balance all that kind of stuff to be able to play to your potential, and I think at the moment I’m doing a good job of that.”
While Scott will be forever known as the first Aussie to win the Masters, don’t be surprised if his victory is the start of a parade of contenders and future champions from Down Under.
We got a glimpse of that last year with Scott, Day and Leishman. All made the turn with a chance to win. Day led briefly, but bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes cost him a chance to win. He still wound up shooting a 69 on Sunday to finish third, while Leishman closed with a 72 to tie for fourth.
There’s every reason to believe this wasn’t a one-time coincidence but the start of a trend. Scott has been recognized for years as one of the top players in the game, having won 26 tournaments worldwide since turning pro in 2000. He barely missed winning the 2012 British Open when he blew a four-shot lead with four holes to play. Now that he has won his first major, it should give him added confidence to win more. Day is confident he can contend.
“As long as I keep working hard, and I want it, hopefully the floodgates will open and I’ll win a lot more,” Day said after capturing the WGC Match Play in February. “But it’s totally up to me if I want to win one more or 10 more or 20 more. It’s just how much I want it.”
Day has already proven Augusta National suits his game. He and Scott tied for second in 2011 when Charl Schwartzel of South Africa won and was third last year.
Day started this season off strong by capturing the Match Play.
“I’ve always liked competing against the best players, which is the hardest fields in golf with a lot of people watching,” Day said. “For some reason, it just always gets me going.”
He’s not the only Aussie playing well. On Sunday, Matt Jones chipped in from 42 yards out on the first playoff hole to win the Shell Houston Open. It was the first PGA Tour win for the 33-year-old and earned him his first trip to the Masters. He became the second straight Australian to win on the PGA Tour after Steven Bowditch’s triumph at the Texas Open.
Before that, countryman John Senden rallied to win the Valspar Championship in Tampa after Day captured the Match Play.
“Going to Augusta is amazing,” Jones said. “The win means everything to me right now because that’s what we play for, is to win. To have Augusta as a reward for that win is amazing.”
Jones brings the list of Aussies qualifying for this year’s Masters to six to match England with the most representatives behind the United States.