THE 20TH best golfer in the world left Mike Weir to his own devices on the ninth green in yesterday's final day of practice before the 72nd edition of the Masters.

While Weir, the 2003 champion, was content to finish his preparations hitting putts to four tee-pegs pushed into the three-tiered green, Aaron Baddeley manoeuvred his way over to meet fellow-Australian Stuart Appleby on the 10th tee to take in a final, full round. No stone left unturned, if you don't mind.

For Baddeley, the Masters has become an obsession. As it has for Appleby and Geoff Ogilvy and Adam Scott and Robert Allenby and John Senden and Nick O'Hern and Richard Green. You can include Peter Lonard too, even if he is more laid back than the rest. You see, it hurts their national pride that no Australian has won this major.

"Things haven't fallen into place," remarked Appleby of the Australian failure to finish the job. "But they will. Our time will come. There is no way we're going to have 10 more of these and we're still without a winner.

"Everything goes in cycles. Look at the Europeans, who hadn't won a major for eight years, but they've had the run of things in the Ryder Cup. It used to be that the Europeans won here a lot, and now the Americans have reclaimed it. It all goes in cycles."

Baddeley added, "It's just one of those things. But, now, we have a lot more players in the field."

In other words, the odds have moved in their favour; and with nine players in the field this year, the strength of the game down under is clear for all to see.

Of course, any Australian who makes the journey down Magnolia Lane is haunted to a degree by the suffering inflicted on Greg Norman. It's a kind of baggage-by-extension. Growing up, Scott - now down to eighth in the world and overtaken by fifth-placed Ogilvy - always believed it was only a matter of time before Norman would win a green jacket. It never happened, for various reasons. Larry Mize chipping in. Nick Faldo's fightback. Oh, and Norman's collapse.

The lack of an Aussie winner is engrained into Scott's psyche. "I think I've known since I was about six. At that point, I would have thought Greg was going to be the first Australian to win. I think it is still surprising that we haven't. But it will change."

Indeed, he believes the intense rivalry among the Aussie contingent helps to spur one another on.

"I think we all drag one another along, for sure," he said. "One of us plays well, and the others lift their game and play well."

Augusta hasn't been too kind to Scott, it must be said. In six appearances, he has managed only one top-10, on his debut in 2002. "I've just got to play better. I haven't played well here in past years. When you're not striking your irons well, you're not going to have good results," said Scott, who has recovered from the illness that forced him to withdraw from the Houston Open last week.

There are nine Aussies - all competing here - ranked in the world's top-60. It is an indication of the quality in their midst.

Now, if only somebody could end that curse of the green jacket.