While Adam Scott became the first Australian in 73-years to be fitted with an Augusta National green jacket, your author can now proudly boast to be the first Australian-born print journalist to be present to report on a ‘Down Under’ golfing Grand Slam.

I was in attendance in 1993 at Royal St. George’s to walk all 18 holes of the final round as Greg Norman captured a second Open Championship. Norman came from one shot behind arch rival Nick Faldo and defeat the Brit by two with a sizzling last round 64. The Alan Border led Australian Cricket Team was also present that day in Kent to witness the late, great Gene Sarazaen hand Norman the famed Claret Jug.

Bernie with Adam Scott and the 2012 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational trophy. Now looking forward to Adam allowing me to slip  on the ‘Green Jacket’. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)

Two years later, I was present at Riviera Golf Club in suburban Los Angeles when Australia’s Steve Elkington posted a final day 64 and then holed a 20-foot birdie put to defeat Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie at the first extra play-off hole.

In 2006 I ventured to the Winged Foot Golf Club in New York to report of Geoff Ogilvy becoming the first Australian since Elkington to win a Major.

Ogilvy holed a 30-foot chip shot to save par at the 17th, and then got up-and-down at the last to deny Montgomerie and Phil Mickelson.

The ‘Grand Slam’ of golf reporting for this Australian was complete on Sunday and 17-years after first attending the Masters in 1996, but then having to share the pain of Norman’s Augusta meltdown.

And if there was an omen this year in being present at Augusta then maybe it was the fact I had been seated in Row A in the Augusta Media Centre since 1996 until this year when I was moved to Row D.

There was four fellow Australian reporters in attendance this year at the Masters and who were just as excited and thrilled as I was to be able to shake Adam’s hand following his play-off victory.

And a special thank you to many of my colleagues in the Media Centre last Sunday who took the time to shake my hand, and given so often I had made a special point in sharing in their excitement when one of their own countrymen won a Major.

Witnessing Adam win the Masters continued a career of being present when he had tasted success.

I was there at Slaley Hall in northern England when Adam wrapped-up his European Tour in 2000 and I was also reporting on Adam’s achievement in securing the 2002 Scottish PGA Championship at Gleneagles, and his first victory on European soil and no more than a 20-minute drive from where Norman had also first won on European soil.

It had also been superb to witness first hand Adam win both of his Qatar Masters titles (2002 & 2010), his wire-to-wire success in the 2005 Johnnie Walker Classic in Beijing, his 2009 Australian Open victory at the New South Wales Club in Sydney, his third Barclays Singapore Open victory in 2010, and then last year when he teamed with Steve Williams for a first time to capture the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational.

And the 2013 Masters marked my 60th Major Championship since 1989 when Norman and fellow Aussie Wayne Grady lost a play-off to American Mark Calcavecchia at Royal Troon.

So here’s hoping I can find my way to be present to report on many more Australian victories in the Majors!