The 35-year-old admitted that Scott’s win at Augusta two weeks earlier had inspired many Australians, and said it added a sub-plot to his battle with Fraser throughout the final day.
"Adam Scott has been a huge inspiration, and obviously Greg Norman before that. ‘Scotty’ is such a fantastic role model for all Australians. He really is a downtoearth, typical Australian, represents everything that we are as a country, so he certainly inspired me, for sure," Rumford said.
"'Frase' kept the pressure there all day, so full credit to him. All the respect in the world to him. He's been playing great golf for such a long while and has always played well around here. But we’re all fiercely competitive, us Australians, so although there was a bit of banter, it was business for most of the day."
Fraser was unable to capitalise on the opportunities while Rumford was in trouble, but the Melbourne-based 34-year-old was full of praise for his friend’s decisive five-iron in the playoff, even congratulating his compatriot after the shot.
"I got beaten by some pretty good golf today. That was pretty impressive, that shot into the play-off hole. He'd easily agree it's one of the best shots he's ever hit. To eagle to win a tournament is pretty impressive, so full credit to him," said the soft-spoken Fraser, who carded a bogey-free final round.
"All you can do is give yourself chances and hopefully you take them. I played the playoff hole really well, hit the second shot a little bit left and hit a great chip to about a foot. That wasn't good enough, but we are big boys and we'll get over it."
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