GOOD ON YOU

Adam Scott's dramatic Masters win unites the land of boomerangs , koalas and kangaroos with the land of azaleas, magnolias and pimento cheese sandwiches. Australia FINALLY has a Masters champion. The long-awaited green jacket has finally landed on an Aussie. Scott maneuvered the treacherous massive sand bunkers and precarious greens to emerge as the champion.

Scott's birdie putt on the 18th green appeared to have won the tournament and he screamed " C'mon Aussie" just prior to Angel Cabrera revealing aome Argentinian magic with his 7 iron. Early evening was slipping into nightfall as the two engaged in a hard fought sudden death playoff that went from hole 18 to hole 10 before Scott claimed the green jacket.

The entire Masters week had, as always, been filled with emotional pairings and thrilling golf shots. Moments included Masters Champion and Golf Legend Tom Watson and 14 year old Tianlang Guan playing a practice round together. The teen from China is the youngest participant to ever play in the Masters.

The Thursday honorary starters trio of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player hit three shots straight down the pristine first fairway of the Augusta National. They are simply the best. They engage with patrons. They sign autographs for children. They pose for photographs. They play in the Par 3 tournament to the delight of thousands. They ARE golf.

Condoleeza Rice and Darla Moore debuted their green jackets as the first female members of The Augusta National. Their memberships are far more than any fashion show. Rice played a round with Phil Mickelson on the previous Sunday at Augusta National.

The long-time player/caddy team of Ben Crenshaw and Carl Jackson played in their 36th Masters tournament together. It was Crenshaw's 42nd Masters and Jackson's 52nd Masters which is not too surprisingly a record for Masters caddies. The two have just released a book : Two Roads To Augusta which is a must have for any golf fan.

The Augusta National and The Masters exemplify the integrity of the game. It was never any more evident than this week when penalties were issued to amateurs and champions alike. And each golfer reacted with professionalism and the spirit of the game. (Wonderful stories were shared about Bobby Jones penalizing himself a stroke in a tournament when he saw his golf ball move even though no one else did. )

This is The Masters. There is no running. There is no bending of the rules. There is however unpredictable weather that changes faster than Bubba Watson's tee shot zipping down the fairway.

Russell Henley (age 23) former University of Georgia golfer from Macon had a solid round with an opening even par in his first Masters appearance.

Crowd favorite  American Fred Couples (age 53) played amazing golf for any age throughout the tournament as did Bernhard Langer (age 55) with a string of birdies on Sunday.

The Masters is where you sit amongst the Georgia pines eating your club sandwich and enjoying a beverage of your choice while having a conversation with patrons from Australia, China and Ireland. You meet people from other states and nations and you welcome them to this magnificent tournament. You see patrons wearing badges from many past tournaments and you see first-time visitors absorbing the breath-taking beauty of the place. You meet people who have this journey on their bucket list. You have reunions with gallery guards who have the same post at a certain spot each year.

Tiger Woods was on the leader board. Jim Furyk. Luke Donald. Matt Kuchar. Couples. Langer. McIlroy. Oleson. Snedeker. Some players made early charges toward the top. Some suddenly appeared on Sunday. Some quietly maintained consistent under par rounds each day.

The leader board changed many times over the past four days as many nations collectively held their breath as their golf ambassadors raised their flags and made their putts. It is hard to imagine that any nation wanted it, needed it, longed for it, waited for it and fought for it as Australia has for so very long. Marc Leishman and Jason Day were in the thick of it all week. Greg Norman was oh so close in 1986, 1987, and 1996.

But it was meant to be for 32 year old Aussie Adam Scott who got to embrace his caddy Steve Williams, his competitor Angel Cabrera and then his father in a moment he said he will never forget. He wished his mother and sister could have been there but knew they were watching.

Adam Scott is now being called The Wizard of Oz and Great Scott ! Well deserved. All of Australia was, after all, depending on him. C'mon Aussie they were thinking. C'mon Aussie they were cheering !

 Scott spoke of the encouragement he felt from the Augusta National patrons. All of Australia was watching. All of Augusta was watching. Golf fans everywhere were watching and thinking: Good on you, Scott. That green jacket looks good on you. *



*  Good On You  or  Good onya is an Aussie expression from "down under " meaning :Excellent or Very Good...Good For you...Well Done...