The Masters: Ranking the 25 most exceptional performances at Augusta
By Bill Felber
24: Adam Scott, 2013 Masters; 279 (-9), Std. Deviation -2.34
Adam Scott came to Augusta National with the memory still fresh of his collapse the previous summer at the British Open. There he had lost a four-stroke lead late in the final round to Ernie Els. He persevered through a weekend head-to-head fight with former champion Angel Cabrera and in so doing became the first Australian ever to win the Masters.
Scott’s first round 69 placed him barely inside the day’s top 10, and a Friday 72 didn’t improve his situation. He sat three behind Jason Day, in a multiple player tie for seventh, entering the weekend.
On Saturday, however, Day managed only a 73 while Scott shot 69, moving one stroke behind Cabrera and Brandt Snedeker.
In cold and rainy Sunday conditions, play on developed into a three-way contest involving Day, Cabrera and Scott. Day’s eagle at the second hole tied Cabrera, but Cabrera regained the lead with a birdie at seven and made the turn three up on both of his challengers.
He remained two ahead until 13, when his bogey allowed both Scott and Day to forge a three-way tie with birdies, which they made. Day also birdied 14 and 15, putting him one up on Scott and two ahead of Cabrera. On 16, however, Day’s bogey and Cabrera’s birdie reinstated the three-way deadlock. Day fell out of that tie with another bogey at 17, and when Scott birdied the 18th he moved in front, only to see Cabrera match that birdie with one of his own, creating a sudden death playoff.
On the second hole of that playoff, No. 10, Cabrera rimmed a lengthy birdie putt, then watched Scott roll in his own 15-footer for the title.