Australia’s Adam Scott has continued an unbroken 12-year victory run of having won at least one tournament a season since his first full season as a professional in capturing the Talisker (Australian) Masters in Melbourne.

Scott came from one stroke behind at the start of the final Kingston Heath round to defeat England’s Ian Poulter by four strokes with a blistering final round of 67 for a 17-under par victory total.

The Queenslander had turned pro mid-2000 at the European Tour’s Great North Open in England before winning his first event, the Alfred Dunhill Championship in beating England’s Justin Rose, in South Africa early in 2001.

Scott then added a further 17 tournament wins around the globe, including seven on the PGA Tour.

After the disappointment of losing this year’s Open Championship, Scott indicated ahead of last week’s Barclays Singapore Open, how desperate he was in his last two tournaments of 2012 to continue an impressive run of having tasted success at least once every season since 2001.

He’s now done that in his penultimate tournament of 2012 and in the process captured his 19th pro career win.

Scott now joins some of the greats of the game in being fitted with the famed golden coloured winners jacket including boyhood hero, Greg Norman along with other Major Champions in Mark O’Meara, Bernhard Langer and more recently Tiger Woods.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Scott.

“I had some close calls about ten years ago, so this is pretty sweet to be in the gold jacket and hold this trophy that I’ve been admiring since I was a little kid.

“Winning the Australian Open was like getting the monkey off my back a couple of years ago, but this is certainly something I’ve wanted to achieve for a long time.

Billed as a final day shootout, the Poulter and Scott showdown lived up to all expectations, with outstanding golf that delighted the strong crowds at The Heath.

“It’s the only week of the year, maybe one other, where I’ve put four really solid rounds together and the result shows,” added Scott.

“I’m really, really happy with what I was able to do this week, and especially today.

“It was great to be a part of it. The way Ian and I played the last two days was the highest standard of golf there is. You could have brought anyone down here and they would have had to be on their game to play that way.”

While the front nine had the final pairing neck and neck, the back nine ultimately decided the tournament with Poulter taking a bogey at the par 5, 525 metre 12^th hole.

“It wasn’t a mistake in club selection, it was a poor swing,” said Poulter.  “So, if you’re going to make a poor swing in that situation then you’re going to get punished, and I did. I made a good six in the end but a bogey there’s costly and obviously a bogey on the next par five was also very costly.

And, while he was disappointed not to have retained the gold jacket, Poulter said he enjoyed his week in Melbourne and said he will return.

“It’s a good week, it was good to try and defend. I’m obviously just a little disappointed that I wasn’t slipping another jacket on.”

Kiwi duo of Gareth Paddison and Mark Brown moved up the leaderboard on the final day to share third, while Queenslander Adam Crawford shot the round of the day, a 7-under 65, to finish in fifth position.