Golf: Adam Scott wins Masters in playoff over Angel Cabrera

SYDNEY: Sports-mad Australia on Monday celebrated Adam Scott's breakthrough triumph in the Masters, claiming it as an historic moment for the nation.

Scott, 32, beat Angel Cabrera of Argentina at the second playoff hole to become the first Australian to win the Masters at Georgia's Augusta National.

"Huge congratulations to Adam Scott - the first Australian ever to win the Masters," tweeted Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

"By any measure it is an historical day for Australian sport," she added.

Nine months after making bogeys on the last four holes to squander a British Open lead at Royal Lytham and two years after sharing second at the Masters, Scott won his first major title in impressive fashion.

Australians huddled around television sets across the country early Monday urging on Scott who ended a jinx that saw Australians eight times finish runner-up at the Masters.

Sporting and political figures all joined to celebrate his victory with leading golfing journalist Martin Blake calling his winning putt one of the standout moments in Australian sport.

"Adam Scott goes into the pantheon of Australian sporting greats, right up with (Rod) Laver, (Dawn) Fraser, (Donald) Bradman. (Masters) Hoodoo broken," he tweeted.

Australians had won all the other majors, but Augusta continued to elude the nation's golfers until Scott's breakthrough.

Steve Elkington, who was the Australian winner of the 1995 US PGA Championship tweeted: "Waltzing Matilda ... Waltzing Matilda ..you'll go a Waltzing Matilda with me..."

Paul Marsh, the head of the Australian Cricketers' Association, tweeted: "30 plus years of watching the Masters and the many disappointments of Australians just falling short, that was a truly magic moment."

Olympic marathon runner Robert de Castella paid tribute to three-time Masters runner-up Greg Norman in saluting Scott.

"Greg Norman has always been my golf hero and now Adam Scott has done what the Shark almost did! Awesome, bloody awesome," he tweeted, while world snooker champion Neil Robertson also offered congratulations.

"Well done Adam Scott!!! Great nerve at the end. That will put what happened at The Open behind him," he said on Twitter.

Australian tennis coach and now commentator Darren Cahill added: "Just wonderful. Good guy. Helluva golfer. He was due. Well done Adam Scott. 2013 Masters Champion. 1st Aussie ever!!" (AFP)