The Aussie and the Kiwi sat together with smiles as wide as the Tasman Sea.

This was not Adam Scott and his caddie Steve Williams, though. This was Adam Scott and Craig Heatly, the chairman of the Masters media committee, as they prepared to get the post-championship press conference under way at Augusta National. "When I heard the roar down on 10, a second later I heard about 30 million people in Australia and New Zealand all cheering and I can't describe the pleasure it gives me to welcome and congratulate you," said a clearly emotional Heatly on a day when old rivalries were put aside and Anzac alliances were strengthened. At this rate, the Wallabies and the All Blacks will be holding hands on the rugby pitch next.

Scott's plundering of the green jacket on Sunday night will live long in the memory and the 32-year-old from Adelaide will forever be indebted to that other New Zealander by his side on the golf course. Williams was on the bag for 13 of Tiger Woods' 14 major wins and read the putt that helped his former boss win the 1999 PGA Championship. Under the sodden, darkening clouds of a rainy night in Georgia he helped Scott to a maiden major crown as his latest gaffer holed a birdie putt on the second play-off hole to pip Angel Cabrera and slip himself into the green jacket.

"I said to Steve 'do you think it's just more than a cup?", reflected Scott, as he mulled over the decisive moment. "He said 'it's at least two cups. It's going to break more than you think'. He was my eyes on that putt."

After plenty of near misses, Scott finally had his eyes opened to major glory. No-one will forget that desperate climax to last year's Open Championship at Lytham when Scott, seemingly in command and striding to victory, staggered to four closing bogeys and collapsed just short of the Claret Jug. No-one will deny this likeable, laid back man his moment of triumph either.

He demonstrated that he's as tough as a saltwater croc and, amid almost unbearable tension, this was a rock-solid redemption. Nice guys can come first and for Scott it is very much a case of onwards and upwards. Only a few years ago, things were spiralling in the other direction, though. In 2009, Scott was in the midst of the worst stretch of his professional career.

He had tumbled from third in the world to 53rd and had missed 10 of his last 14 cuts but Greg Norman, his idol, mentor and fellow Australian, still had faith in him and selected him for the Presidents Cup match against the USA that year.

"You know, my game was in a bit of a rut to be fair and I wasn't enjoying it very much," he said. "But Greg had a lot of faith in me and a belief that I could win a point for his team. What he did was automatically put me in a world-class situation of playing. There's no hiding place in the Presidents Cup. You have to go out there and play against the best players in the world. I used that as a real motivator and it was a way to make myself believe that I was a great player again. I took the ball from there and ran with it."

Interestingly, Scott partnered Cabrera during that competition and a mutual admiration was forged which was evident on Sunday night as the duo embraced in the emotional aftermath. "Angel said a great thing to me at the Presidents Cup," added Scott. "He pulled me aside and said 'you're a great, great player'. It was something I didn't forget."

Scott will not forget the role played by Norman, either. The Great White Shark endured his fair share of disappointments in the Masters and had numerous chances to win, not least in 1996 when he blew a six-shot lead on the final day. "There was one guy that inspired a nation of golfers and that was Greg Norman," said Scott.

"He's been incredible to me and all the young golfers in Australia and part of this definitely belongs to him." For Norman, Scott's Sunday's success, which meant a green jacket was finally Australia's after decades of close shaves, was a particularly sweet moment. "I'm over the moon," said the two-time Open champion.

"Sitting there watching Adam, I had a tear in my eye. That's what it was all about. It was Adam doing it for himself, and for the country, an incredible competitor. He's not a guy that wants to sit back and relax and rest on his laurels."

Norman is predicting great things in years to come, but what the future holds for Scott regarding his long putter remains to be seen. Anchored to his chest, Scott's contraption is on the wanted list as the game's custodians, the R&A and the USGA, move to ban the use of such golfing weapons as of 2016. Scott's win completed the grand slam for the increasingly controversial clubs and now means that four of the last six majors have been won by players using a putter pressed against the belly or the chest.

Scott has been a vocal opponent of the ban and has some strong allies in the PGA Tour and the PGA of America. A decision is expected soon and the suggestion is that Scott's win has only strengthened the movement to have the putters outlawed.

"I don't know that this is going to impact any decision," he admitted. "You know my feelings on it. It was inevitable that big tournaments would be won with this equipment because they are the best players in the world and they practise for thousands of hours. They are going to get good with whatever they are using."

Scott came good with his long putter on Sunday night. How long that will be allowed to continue, only time will tell.