2013 ADAM SCOTT’S PLAYOFF THRILLER
efore I get into what happened on Sunday in 2013, you have to understand how close I am to Adam Scott. To me and my wife, Christy, he’s like a member of the family. I met him when my friend Tom Crow, the founder of Cobra Golf, asked me to look after an Aus- tralian kid who was coming to play for UNLV, near where I teach outside Las Vegas. When Adam came to see me for the first time in 1998, I was in the middle of my stretch with Tiger. I had Scottie hit some balls, and after a few swings I thought, I’ve seen this move be- fore. I asked him if he’d tried to model his swing after anyone, and he said he and his dad loved Tiger’s swing and tried to emulate it. It was the closest I’d ever seen. From that day on, Adam and I have been very close friends, sometimes working hard on his game, sometimes just keep- ing up on life. It was well known that an Australian had never won the Masters, with several near misses by Norman, and that fact was not lost on Adam, who is a proud Aussie. In 2013, Scottie started the final round one shot off the lead, B
and after the front nine, he trailed Angel Cabrera by three. But three birdies over the final six holes, including one at the last, put him in a sudden-death playoff with Cabrera. They both parred the first playoff hole, then headed to No 10. With rain coming down and the light fading, Scottie had a 15-footer for birdie to win. I was doing commentary for Sky Sports in the TV tower. I always try to stay neutral on telecasts and just say what I see, but this time it was hard. I also didn’t want to black-cat him by saying the wrong thing on television. As he stood over that putt, I heard our producer in my ear: “Keep a camera on Butch. I want to see his reaction.” When the putt curled in, I went crazy, broke my cardinal rule. Then my on-air partner, Ewen Murray, turned to me and said, “Butch, what do you think?” I had tears streaming down my face. I couldn’t get the words out. That’s as emotional as I’ve ever been watching one of my guys win. Scottie signed a Masters flag for me with the most beautiful message that starts, “Coach, mentor and great mate . . .” That flag hangs in the same hitting bay where I watched him hit those first balls 25 years ago.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 77
MARCH/APRIL 2025
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