What did we learn from Adam Scott’s Australian Masters win?

Adam Scott clinched his first Australian Masters today after a dogged duel with Ian Poulter that saw the lead change numerous times throughout the day.

Adam Scott won his first Australian Masters at Kingston Heath today, holding off Ian Poulter by four shots to claim the gold jacket.

Scott’s four shot victory perhaps belied the competitive duel he had with Poulter, especially over the front nine which saw some extraordinary momentum swings between both golfers.

So what did we learn from what appears to be another successful Australian Masters?

Scott one of the world’s best right now
Yes, an Australian golfer is currently one of the world’s best golfer. Don’t forget it and get excited about it.

In a great but ultimately unsuccessful year for Adam Scott, it was nice to be reminded that he can close out tournaments. It was probably nice for Adam Scott to be reminded of this too.

His driving and iron play was impeccable and it would have been an incredible display by anyone to beat have beaten him. Irrespective of future putting announcements or the tragedy at Royal Lytham, Scott is on target to win a major golf tournament, sooner rather than later. Get excited.

We need a tailor on hand
We often see a shot of the winning players name being etched into the trophy as he walks up the 18th hole. It was clear from the size of the gold jacket donned by Adam Scott that a shot of a local tailor adjusting the size of the jacket might be a good addition to the telecast.

Australia is producing some great young golfers
Four out of the five amateurs to play this week finished in the top-30. Jake Higginbottom got the top amateur medal with a tie for 10th place but Oliver Goss (T20), Nathan Holman (T30) and Cameron Smith (T30) all looked very comfortable and look set for big futures.

While there has been some fervent debate on Twitter as to whether the American college system is the best way forward for young international golfers, Australia has a fine future ahead. Keep an eye on these guys over the next decade.

Poulter and McDowell were most welcome guests
If you are going to pay international golfers to attend a golf tournament, Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter are two of the first you should ask. Poulter did everything he could to defend his golf jacket and is great value to watch. While McDowell didn’t have his best week, he still managed a top-10 finish and was a breath of fresh air when he took his place in the TV commentary box.

It’s still hard to lure big name golfers to Australia
McDowell and Poulter were the only two big name internationals to appear at Kingston Heath this week and the lack of depth in the field was obvious. The timing of the tournament with respect to the other world tours and the Australian Open are somewhat to blame but it was always going to hard to follow up last year’s remarkable summer of golf in Australia.

The pros love Kingston Heath
Here is what Ian Poulter, Jason Dufner, Stewart Cink had to say about Kingston Heath:

Kingston Heath is totally awesome. Someone please tell modern day architects we don’t need 8000 yard tracks they’re not enjoyable. Best yet

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) November 14, 2012

Aussie Masters at Kingston Heath, one of my top 5 course in the world I have played. Gotta get back one day

— Jason Dufner (@JasonDufner) November 15, 2012

Want to see what a golf course ought to look like?Tune in to Golf Channel’s coverage of the Talisker Aussie Masters at Kingston Heath.

— Stewart Cink (@stewartcink) November 15, 2012

Kingston Heath is one of the world’s greatest golf courses
Maybe we didn’t need reminding of this but it was nice to hear so much international praise for the course. Broadcast into the US via the Golf Channel golf fans were gushing over Kingston Heath, and rightly so. Along with many other golf courses in the Melbourne sandbelt region, Kingston Heath is considered a golf course where shot making is still emphasised. It is the antithesis of many other tournament golf courses and it is disappointing it does not regularly host the big golf tournaments it deserves.