Scott holds nerve to end years of hurt

Adam Scott delivered a first green jacket for Australia as he won a tense Masters in a sudden death play-off over Argentina’s Angel Cabrera at Augusta National last night.

Eight times an Australian had finished runner-up, including Scott, 32, just two years ago. This time he went one better, banishing the demons of losing last year’s Open Championship to Ernie Els with four dropped shots over the last four holes to claim his first major title.

Cabrera, 43, has only two wins on the PGA Tour – the 2007 US Open and the 2009 Masters, and the Argentine was clearly focused on another big prize to make a mockery of being ranked 269th in the world. Last night he watched Scott bury a birdie putt to move to nine under with a final round 70 then jammed an iron approach to three feet and sank a birdie of his own to force a sudden-death play-off in the Augusta rain.