Fans in attendance on Sunday at the 2013 Masters Tournament were once again treated to a magical day at Augusta.
Converting a long birdie putt on the second playoff hole, Adam Scott defeated Argentina's Angel Cabrera, becoming the first Australian to win the coveted green jacket.
Beginning his final round at minus-6, Scott trailed co-leaders Cabrera and Brandt Snedeker by two strokes. Consistently hitting fairways and timely approach shots when he needed them the most, the 32-year-old native of Adelaide, Australia put himself in position to win the title in regulation when he stepped up to the 72nd hole.
Leaving himself 20-feet following a solid approach shot, Scott sent the crowd around the 18th green into a frenzy when his putt dropped, giving him a one-shot lead over Angel Cabrera.
Watching the action unfold in front of him, Cabrera played his second shot from the right side of the fairway. Needing birdie to force a playoff, the two-time major winner calmly stuck his shot to within 2-feet of the pin setting up a tap-in birdie and sending the Masters championship to its second-consecutive playoff.
Coming into the 2013 Masters, Tiger Woods was the favorite to claim what would have been a fifth green jacket. While Woods was in contention throughout the entire 4-day event, a 2-stroke penalty was given to the 14-time major champion before the start of the third round because of an illegal drop taken at the 15th hole in round 2. The penalty did not come into play regarding the final tally however as Tiger finished at minus-5 and in a tie for fourth.
American Brandt Snedeker started the final round with a birdie, putting him in the lead at minus-9. The 32-year-old Nashville, Tennessee native struggled the rest of the way however, never able to mount any true momentum on his way to a plus-3 75. He finished in a tie for sixth.
Defending champion Bubba Watson struggled right from the opening round. The low moment for Watson in the tournament came at the 12th hole on Sunday. Hitting three shots into Rae's Creek, Watson carded a 10. "When you take away the nine three-putts, you take away the three balls in the water on 11, my 10 on 12, I still tied 50th," the always-positive Watson told reporters from ESPN following his round. "There's a lot of guys that went home that wish they tied 50th. So when you add that up, that means I was really close to having a fight on Sunday afternoon." He'd finish the tournament at plus-5.
Through all the ups and downs for many players at Augusta, the one constant was Adam Scott. Suffering a heart-breaking collapse at The Open Championship last season, Scott was someone more than capable of competing at this event.
Scott put himself in contention early, posting a 3-under 69 to start the tournament. Following round 1 with an Even par 72 on Friday and another 69 on Saturday, Scott began the final round trailing by 2. Thanks to his clutch putting at the end of regulation and in the playoff, Adam Scott earned his first major championship.
When Scott heads home to his native Australia, he's sure to be met with tons of love and admiration as the first golfer to deliver Australia a green jacket.
Well done Adam, well done.
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