Faldo/Norman Read Free

influence lives on in the new generation of players who have followed each of them, such as Scott and Justin Rose. Norman heads a number of companies under the umbrella of Great White Shark Enterprises and in the syntax of Twitter has found the perfect expression of his personal mantra: #AttackLife. Sir Nick Faldo, for he was knighted by the Queen in 2009 for services to golf, has created a worldwide junior tournament scheme as well as becoming one of the game’s leading television commentators. Each April the Englishman is ensconced in a tower above the 18th green at Augusta National to analyse and comment for the American broadcaster CBS.
    It was below Faldo on the final green that Scott holed a25-footer and bellowed: ‘C’mon Aussie’. It got the 32-year-old into a playoff with Angel Cabrera which Scott won at the second extra hole when he holed a 15-footer for birdie in the dark and rain on the 10th green. ‘An unbelievable, magical moment – he is now officially the Wizard of Oz. What a couple of putts they were!’ Faldo exclaimed as a nation on the other side of the world celebrated over breakfast. ‘From Down Under to on top of the world,’ added CBS’s Australian commentator Ian Baker-Finch.
    Australians had won the other three golfing majors, and winning the Open Championship remains the dream for any young Aussie golfer, as it was for Norman. But not winning the Masters was getting ridiculous. Too many good players had failed in the quest and Norman’s near misses had almost traumatised a nation.
    ‘Between the Bangles and the Boomtown Rats, it’s pretty much set in underwater-cured concrete that Mondays have a bit to answer for. They certainly have for Australian golf fans, especially during the mesmerising but frequently demoralising heyday of Greg Norman,’ wrote Patrick Mangan in
So Close – The Bravest, Craziest, Unluckiest Defeats in Aussie Sport
(Norman could have multiple entries in all those categories).
    Scott had watched the 1996 Masters as a 15-year-old golf-mad Shark fan and was crying by the end. After his victory he said: ‘Part of this belongs to Greg. He inspired a nation of golfers. He was the best player in the world and was an icon in Australia. He has devoted so much time to myself and other Australian players who have come after him. He has given me so much inspiration and belief.’ Norman had long since gone from being Scott’s hero to his mentor and the champion said he was looking forward to celebrating over a beer with him. Norman, who was watching at his home in Florida, was delighted. ‘There was more pressure on Adam because no Australian has ever won the Masters. It was a monumental feat and I’m so happy for him.’
    This is what Scott’s victory meant: within 24 hours the members of the Australian Golf Writers Association had unanimously agreed, halfway through April, that Scott would be their player of the year – nothing could top this. Scott was also honoured with Australia’s top sporting award, The Don, named after cricket legend Don Bradman. When he returned home in November he received the keys to the City of Gold Coast and there was a ‘Wear Green for Adam Scott Day’ at the Australian PGA Championship. ‘The whole of Australia was buzzing with excitement following Adam’s momentous victory at Augusta,’ said Brian Thorburn, CEO of the PGA of Australia. ‘We wanted to provide a welcome home befitting his achievement whilst also giving fans the chance to celebrate.’
    When Scott received a congratulatory text from his friend Rose, Scott replied that the Englishman was next. ‘This is our time,’ he wrote. ‘He’s a wise man,’ Rose said after winning the US Open at Merion, hitting a four-iron at the final hole from beside the plaque commemorating Ben Hogan’s one-iron in 1950. Both Scott and Rose could go on to win more majors. Perhaps they will be the new Norman and Faldo, although the old duo themselves might be in competition again once Fox