2013 Masters: A selection of the best golf writing on Adam Scott’s victory

Some of the best pieces written from around the world on Adam Scott history making Masters victory yesterday.

A great piece from Doug Ferguson with a few great insights on Scott’s final putt and Greg Norman’s reaction to the Sunday drama.

Norman was so nervous watching TV that he went to the gym when the final group made the turn. He headed home for the last four holes — Day, Scott and Marc Leishman all had a chance to win — and was texting with friends as his emotions shifted with every putt.

Richard Hinds’ piece “A day when a nice guy finished first” is definitely worth a read. Like most of Hinds’s stuff.

Scott was signing his card – and maybe wondering whether to have it framed – when Cabrera, who looks more like a plumber than an elite sportsman, knocked his approach to the 18th hole within a metre.

Scott looked at the screen, and shrugged. Surely, in that moment, the thoughts of Australia’s dark Augusta history loomed large in his mind. Let alone his own British Open travails.

Ben Everill reminds us that Jason Day is ruing another opportunity at Augusta after collapsing over the final few holes.

Day can draw on the example of Scott, who bounced back to claim his maiden major title after the hurt of blowing a four-shot lead with four to play at last year’s British Open.

Mike Clayton talks us through the Scott’s final holes with the heart break of Royal Lytham still very much in mind.

As he had done at Kingston Heath – and conspicuously failed to do at Lytham – Scott kept on hitting great irons right to the end. He missed birdies at the 16th and 17th, but then holed the right-to-left breaking 20-footer at the last to get one ahead of Cabrera standing back on the fairway. But there was one last brilliant shot left in the Argentinian.

Luke Elvy reminds us over Scott’s form slump on 2009 and Greg Norman backing him for the Presidents Cup team.

Fortunately, he chose not to quit, instead found a way forward and began the long climb back. His brother-in-law Brad Malone presented a plan to turn his game around. It was so compelling Scott made his sister’s husband, his coach. Then Greg Norman, the man who inspired him to play the game, picked Scott to play on his Presidents Cup team.

It was a show of confidence, which breathed life into the gifted Aussies game and success came quickly.

American Golf Digest writer John Strege focused on the “C’mon Aussie!”;

When Scott holed the birdie putt at 18 in regulation that looked, for the moment, like it might deliver a victory, he shouted for joy.

“Did I just lip-read him, ‘come on Aussies?'” Faldo asked. A slow-motion replay confirmed it.

Veteran golf writer Peter Stone on Scott’s win;

Many wrote and said Scott choked, but I vigorously argued he did not. Sure, he made an error of judgment with club selection on the 72nd hole – and also missed a short putt on the 70th hole – but to say Scott choked was to demean the quality of Els’ play that day.

Scott held his head high and the mental wound was so minimal that he tied 11th in the final major of the year – the PGA – and now he, like Grady, has found his redemption the following year.

CBS Sports’ Will Brinson spends some time chatting about the redemption aspect for Scott after last year’s heart break at Royal Lytham.

It’s hard not to be happy for Scott, who came up painfully short at the 2012 British Open (won by Ernie Els) as he choked away a lead down the stretch and continued to look like a guy who simply might never win a major.

As I wrote at the time, that Open Championship wasn’t about Els winning. It was about Scott losing, and it was a brutal, painful loss for an uber-talented golfer who never put it all together for four days during a major tournament.

And finally, Phil Lutton discusses the importance of having Adam Scott at Australia’s end of year golf tournaments.

Enticing the US Masters champion home for November’s triple crown has rocketed to priority No.1 for domestic tournament organisers as they ride the momentum generated by Adam Scott’s breakthrough in Augusta.