Australia waited out 77 editions and eight second-place finishes at The Masters, before its most famous golfing day had a famous Green Jacket headed down under.
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The 2013 Masters fourth round will always be remembered as the day Adam Scott delivered on his enormous potential and came up big in every high-pressure moment, becoming the first Australian to win golf’s most prestigious tournament.
But making this event such a pleasure to watch — and watch again — was the presence of fellow Aussies Jason Day and Marc Leishman toward the top of the leaderboard; if our country couldn’t win this Masters, perhaps it never would have.
For episode three of Instant Replay, Alex and fellow News sports scribe Aydin Payne sat down to view this famous round, and share their views with you today.
Overall thoughts
Alex: I figured rewatching five-plus hours of old golf might get boring, but not in the slightest. The 2013 Masters is some of the most gripping, breathtaking sporting action I’ve ever watched.
Aydin: It’s one of my favourite all-time sporting moments. Personally, the 2013 edition had it all. You had Warrnambool golfer Marc Leishman in the top-five, a late charge that turned to agony for Jason Day, the threat of a Tiger Woods miracle, crucial shots made or missed from all players and two memorable, brave putts from eventual-winner Adam Scott.
Alex: Heading into the final round, Argentina’s Angel Cabrera, a former winner of the Masters, shared the lead with America’s Brandt Snedeker at -7. Scott was one shot back at -6, while Leishman and Day were a further stroke back at -5. Looming at -3 in his red shirt was Tiger Woods, so this had all the ingredients for a tasty day of golf. There’s too much to unpack here, so a quick recap and some key moments are necessary I reckon.
Front nine
Day comes out breathing fire and was quickly in the lead, dropping a long-bomb putt at the first hole before a delightful chip-in from a bunker on the second for eagle. That eagle felt like the first moment where Australia’s quest for the green jacket was not a fantasy.
Cabrera was -2 on the front nine and looked in strong touch, while Scott was solid more than anything, not necessarily gaining shots on his rivals, but not dropping them either.
After nine each, Cabrera was -9, Snedeker -7, Scott and Day -6 and Leishman -5.
11th
Leishman birdies for -6 and moves within two of the lead, but offers little in the way of emotion such is how locked-in he is.
13th
Perhaps the most vital hole of the tournament. Continuing an absurd day from the bunker, a glorious chip leaves Day with an easy birdie to move within one shot of the lead. Scott’s approach shot rolls off the green, but stops just short of falling into the drink, allowing him to chip from the rough and make a birdie on the par five. Cabrera, just moments later, finds the water with his approach, and bogeys. After 13 holes, Cabrera, Scott and Day each share the lead at -7, with Leishman at -6 the only other real contender.
15th
At this point, it felt as if Day was charging towards the win. He made it three straight birdies via another scintillating approach shot and had grabbed a two-shot lead, although Scott began his charge with a birdie of his own. Leishman drops out of contention with a bogey.
16th
Gripping golf. After a day of consistency, Day overshoots the green at the par-three 16th, leaves his putt from off the green short and can’t save par. Some 15 minutes later, Cabrera drains a 10-footer for birdie — once again he, Scott and Day are all tied at -8.
17th
Day’s minor capitulation continues, putting his second in the bunker and failing to save par. Scott and Cabrera narrowly miss birdie putts and head to 18 sharing the lead, while Day will need to pull a shot back.
18th
After Day misses a birdie putt, Scott drains the most iconic putt in Australian golf, going the big celebration after making birdie to take a one-shot lead — seemingly, he has won the Masters. But Angel has other plans, hitting the shot of the tournament with his approach to leave a three-foot tap-in for birdie and a play-off.
Playoff holes
Scott, after celebrating as if he’d won the tournament, has to settle down and win it again. The duo plays 18 again and each make par with confidence. The drama continues back to the 10th, where each lands a great opportunity for birdie. Cabrera? As close as it gets without dropping. Scott? Money in the bank. Australia has itself a Masters champion.
Alex: Punter, what do you remember about watching it the first time? Personally, I remembered it was special, but I’d forgotten what an all-time classic it was.
Aydin: One of the first things I remember, was just the excitement of it all. I was still at high school and I, like everyone in Australia, got up early to watch the final round. Going to bed on the Sunday night, there was a big chance that by when I woke up, an Aussie would be in the lead.
There was always a sense that the ‘'Greg Norman curse” would eventuate, the Shark had finished runner-up three times and you felt that the heartbreak would strike again here. Day’s string of bogeys on the 16th and 17th were excruciating and when Scott’s tee shot on the 18th found the rough, you just felt that it wasn’t meant to be. But you knew that when Scott made the birdie putt on the second play-off hole that we were watching history being made, and it was one of those, ‘'where were you” moments.
Best moments?
Aydin: Adam Scott’s putts — it was only fitting that the man who had struggled for so long with the putter, was able to exorcise the demons when it mattered. Scott’s birdie putt on the 18th, was some absolute wizardry straight out of Merlin’s book. The roar when that ball sinks gives you chills, like the stuff coursing through Scott’s veins. On the second play-off hole, with the chance to claim Australia’s first green jacket, he sinks a 12-foot birdie putt, absolute scenes at Augusta National and households across Australia.
Alex: The only sad bit is Scott’s birdie on 18 didn’t go down as the eventual winner, because that scene is one of the most spine-tingling sporting moments I’ve watched. Watching Scott go nuts, celebrate with caddy Steve Williams and even sort-of rival Leishman almost brings a tear to the eye.
Aydin: One of my favourite photos from the event was when Scott made the crucial birdie putt on 18, in the background of the photo you can see Leishman celebrate with a fist pump. Just some mad respect for his fellow compatriot.
Others? In terms of golf shots, Day’s bunker shots on the second and 13th holes are right up there. Scott’s putts on 18 and second play-off hole, hell even Cabrera’s approach shot on the 18th, which lands inches from the pin, was out of this world.
And I loved the visualisation of Day before his fairway shot on the 18th, he stands there with his eyes shut for a solid 30 seconds and just gets a feel for what needs to be done. It’s really good energies and something I will look to incorporate into my game to stop my heaving slices.
Heroes and villains?
Alex: Anyone not an Australian became a villain, which was unfair on the great Angel Cabrera, aka El Pato (The Duck). A rotund fella from Argentina who used to punch a dart on every hole, Cabrera is just a relatable bloke and the way in which he carried himself through the tournament was sublime. He must have been hurt to lose the playoff, but his sportsmanship toward Scott was elite.
But as a man from his neck of the woods, I imagine Leishman was your hero this day? What was it like to see one of your own repping at the world’s biggest golf tournament.
Aydin: Growing up in the south-west of Victoria, Marc Leishman was exploding onto the international scene during the 2013 Masters. He finished the opening round with a share of the lead after a superb 66 and sat alongside Sergio Garcia at -6. It was definitely a surreal experience. A family friend of ours plays golf at Warrnambool and I remember seeing him on the Sunday at my parents’ pub and he told me how Marc’s dad Paul had been telling him about Augusta National, somehow you just felt involved in a historic event that was happening on the other side of the world.
What aged well?
Alex: The legacy of each Australian contender. Scott had another 10 top-10 major finishes since then and rose to world number one. Day won the 2015 PGA Championship and 2016 Players Championship, and spent a year ranked world number one. And Leishman has four wins on the PGA tour and a career-high ranking of number 12. There were reasons three Australians were at the top of the leaderboard, and one of them wasn’t luck.
What aged badly?
Alex: This is very much a minor nitpick, but Scott’s robust putting is, of course, done with a broomstick putter. Anchoring a putter was banned in early 2016, and I wonder if anyone out there thinks this tainted the win slightly.
Never forget?
Aydin: You just forget Day probably should have been in Scott’s shoes. The 25-year-old made a late charge with birdies on 13, 14 and 15 and claimed the lead at -9. But on the 16th hole, the pressure got to him and he lost his way with consecutive bogeys. Ouch. But he had a ridiculous final round of golf, that was highlighted with his incredible bunker shot that went in on the second hole.
Alex: I’d forgotten just how Australian that last day was. You had three Aussies in the top-five, you had legendary American commentator Jim Nantz shouting out Warrnambool which seems an entire world away from Augusta, and even Australian Ian Baker-Finch chipping in on commentary to let the US audience know what it meant to our country.
Sliding doors?
Aydin: Just how close Scott came to disaster on the difficult par-five 13th, with his second shot close to ending in the water. The ball catches the lip of the green and rolls down the bank, only to hang on in the rough. It was such a pivotal moment on the day, because Cabrera and Snedeker end up in the drink moments later.
Alex: It’s easy to say now, but if Scott’s ball rolled into the water there, he doesn’t win. If he doesn’t then go on to drain his putt on 13 and make birdie, he might not find the momentum to win the tournament. If he doesn’t win the tournament, maybe Australia is still waiting for a Masters champion.
Commentary corner
“This right here could be the biggest moment of his career. Adam Scott . . .YES. Unreal” — Jim Nantz.
“Jim did I just lip read him? He screamed ‘come on Aussies’ ” — Nick Faldo.
Alex: Iconic call of Scott’s birdie at 18. Sharp pick-up from Faldo, and it really let the world in to how much Scott felt he was representing the nation.
How rewatchable is this?
Alex: If you started when the final three pairings got to the 16th hole, you’d have about a 90-minute masterpiece that could be watched repeatedly. Even starting at 18 to see the Scott birdie, Cabrera answer and the two playoff holes would be great — the significance and electricity of the event makes it one you can always watch on a rainy day. But honestly, I'd sit down and watch the entire five-and-a-half hours broadcast again tomorrow — it's that good.
More Instant Replays
Episode one - Goal!
Episode two - 2006 World Cup: Australia v Japan
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