Amen: How Adam Scott won the US Masters and broke the curse of Augusta National

(Paperback)

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The US Masters. The most famous tournament of all. A global TV audience of 150 million, a string of legendary winners...and a curse for Australian golfers. From Jim Ferrier blowing a huge lead in 1950 to Greg Norman's litany of disasters over decades, the US Masters constantly turned its back on any Australian who looked likely to get close to the holy grail. The curse grew a life of its own. Norman spent 22 years trying to win the tournament he craved above all others, only to be stopped cold by nerves, rotten luck and bizarre twists of fate at Augusta National. He lost to Jack Nicklaus in 1986 by one shot. He lost in 1987 to a truly freakish chip shot from Larry Mize. And then in 1996, Norman led by six shots at the start of the final round. This was surely it! A major had never been lost with such a commanding lead. But on one of Australian sport's darkest days, Norman succumbed by five strokes. Then came Adam Scott. As a boy he'd cried while watching Greg Norman's implosions. He became world junior champion, and a protege of Norman. Respectful and dignified, he was one of the most popular players in the US and Europe. His swing was to die for, but his putting was a nightmare. He kept falling apart in big tournaments. In 2009, when Scott's career was in free-fall, when his world ranking plummeted and his personal life was on the skids, the only two men to show faith in him were Greg Norman and the Argentinian player, Angel Cabrera. Come 2013, Scott is in the thick of an impossibly dramatic Masters. Three Australians have fought for the lead. Only Scott makes it to a sudden-death playoff - against Cabrera. As darkness closes in, he has what Norman never had: one putt to win the Masters. Featuring exclusive interviews with Adam Scott, Scott's father, Phil, Greg Norman and every prominent Australian golfer from British Open champions Peter Thomson and Ian Baker-Finch to Masters runner-up Jack Newton, all of whom tried and failed at Augusta, Amen is the definitive story of how Adam Scott broke the biggest hex on Australian sport by winning the 2013 US Masters.

Author Bio

WILL SWANTON has been an award-winning sports writer for 15 years. He's written for The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Sun-Herald, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph newspapers. He has received the Australian Sports Commission's award for the best contribution to the coverage of sport by an individual. He's been published by Australian Associated Press, Reuters, Agence-France Press, Wisden, The Guardian, International Herald Tribune, South China Morning Post and The New York Times. His photographs have been published by Reuters and The Australian. He's twice featured in Best Australian Sports-Writing compilations and has travelled extensively to report on the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Australia's Test and World Cup cricket campaigns, Test and State of Origin rugby league, Bledisloe Cup rugby, all four major tennis championships and the Association of Surfing Professionals world championship tour. His other books are: Ian Thorpe: Early Days, Some Day, Murderball, The Mighty Mullygrubber Malone, A Better Life (with Craig Hamilton) and The Slams.

BRENT READ is a sports writer for The Australian newspaper. He has covered golf both in Australia and overseas, as well as other major events such as the Olympic Games. This is his first book.