Aussie amateur excited to make Master debut with Adam Scott

AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) - Australian amateur Antonio Murdaca could hardly ask for a better Masters gift than being grouped with compatriot Adam Scott in the first two rounds at the Masters.

Murdaca, who qualified by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship last October, played a practice round with Scott at Augusta National on Saturday.

Scott joked with Murdaca that they might both be grouped with Tiger Woods. Instead, American Dustin Johnson will join the two Australians on Thursday and Friday, though Murdaca is not complaining.

“It’s pretty cool, pretty exciting. Can’t wait for the first round,” the 19-year-old told reporters on Tuesday.

Murdaca and Scott are both from Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, though separated by 15 years.

Indeed, Scott had already played in the Masters three times before Murdaca first watched the event on TV in 2005, the year Tiger Woods dropped a miraculous chip shot at the 16th hole in the final round en route to victory.

“That stuck to me,” Murdaca said. “That chip I’ve watched over-and-over on YouTube. Hopefully something like that can happen to me this week.”

(Editing by Steve Keating.)