The Australian golfer Jack Newton believes Adam Scott's British Open heartache last year provided the catalyst for his historic Masters triumph in Augusta, Georgia on Monday.
Nine months after blowing the Open championship at Royal Lytham, Scott beat Argentina's 2009 champion Angel Cabrera with a four-metre birdie putt at their second play-off hole to become the first Australian to claim the green jacket.
Newton, who finished runner-up to the late Seve Ballesteros at the 1980 Masters, says Scott has the best swing in golf, but he'd been frustrated on the greens until he switched to the long-handled putter two years ago.
The 32-year-old Scott has risen to number three in the world behind Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Meanwhile Cabrera has risen more than 200 places to 64th, having dropped down the rankings because of health problems.
