Australia Day

Adam Scott's victory on the second play-off hole against Angel Cabrera at last month's Masters Tournament was a monumental achievement in this proud sporting county's history

Angel Cabrera with his son and caddie, Angel Cabrera, Jr.

Both players then parred the first play-off hole, the 18th, after hitting their approaches short of the green and chipping to close range. Cabrera nearly ended it when his chippitch for birdie breathed over the right edge of the hole. “My heart was about to stop, thinking 'is this it?”' Scott said. Fortunately for him, he was able to compose himself to chip close enough and hole out to move on to the 10th, where Bubba Watson had won so memorably a year earlier. Both players continued to play brilliantly, lacing tee shots down the fairway and hitting bold approaches at the flag under stifling pressure.

Cabrera’s putt from inside 20 feet again looked to be going in but clung to the back edge of the hole, leaving Scott the stage to himself to create history. Scott then seized the moment, relying heavily on a read from caddie Steve Williams, and poured his 12 footer down the slope into the cup to ignite the celebrations.

Cabrera, the 2009 winner, was magnanimous in defeat and heaped praised on his former teammate and partner of past Presidents Cup teams. "Adam is a great person, a great player," said Cabrera. "In a play-off, one-on-one, there’s got to be only one winner. And it was him ... It was just a matter of time."

At his home in Florida, Norman had been pacing the room and even hitting the gym as play unfolded during the final round, so tense was he as the three Australians tried to do what he could not despite his best endeavours. "I can only imagine how everyone else felt when I was playing," Norman quipped.

Norman admitted that Scott’s victory had brought a tear to his eye, knowing full well what Scott has endured along the way to this moment. “He probably had more pressure on him today than any other player on the planet because he was playing for not only for himself but the millions of people in Australia,” Norman said. "I was a very proud stepfather in a way.”

Scott acknowledged the helping hand that Norman has played throughout his career but especially after selecting him as a captain’s pick for the 2009 Presidents Cup matches, when his form was at his lowest ebb. That show of faith reignited Scott’s career and instilled a confidence that his game was up to world class again.

In his typically Australian way, Scott said that he hoped to sit down for a beer with the Shark soon to share this crowning achievement with him. A phone call would not be enough, Scott said – part of this is for him.

Pages

Click here to see the published article.