BY BRENDAN JAMES at Augusta National

Adam Scott will have been Masters Champion for 360 days when he tees off in the first round of the 2014 Tournament on Thursday.

Today, he will wear the Green Jacket, as reigning champion, for the final time. Then, he will walk up into the Champions locker room at Augusta National and hang it in the locker he now has permanent access to.

And there it will stay until Sunday night when he will don the Green Jacket again, either as one of only four successful defending champions, or as the ceremonial presenter of another jacket to the 2014 winner.

The final 48 hours of the 360 days he will be busy preparing for his defense of the title as well as fulfilling the many responsibilities that come with being Masters Champion. There is, of course, the Champions dinner where barbequed Moreton Bay bugs and pavlova – made from his Mum’s recipe – were part of the menu.

Moreton Bay Bugs were on Adam Scott's Champions dinner menu.

Just hours before all the past Champions began to assemble on the verandah of the 150-year-old Augusta clubhouse, Scott was every bit the nervous host. “I just can't wait to be up in that room and see what that holds.  So many new experiences, it's really exciting,” he said.

Scott has really enjoyed the entire experience as returning Masters Champion – the drive down Magnolia Lane, finalising last minute culinary details for the Champions dinner and getting in a practice round with his Dad, Phil, have been intertwined with time fine-tuning has game.

“It's incredible coming back, something I've been looking forward to so much,” Scott said. “To have the opportunity to bring Dad here this year and get to play the course, he said to me would be the highlight of his golfing life and I think it lived up to his expectations.  No doubt he had a great time, and so did I.

“After winning this tournament last year and everyone asking me what the best thing about it was, I always felt like there would be things in the future that would be so great about coming back here for the rest of my life, and again, playing with my Dad on Friday and Sunday before the Masters is one of those great things that winning this tournament has afforded me.

“So I think I've got lots of those memories to look forward to, and that's why this place is just so unique.”

While he has looked forward to coming back to Augusta, he knew it would come at a price.

“(Coming back) I realised it would be time for me to bring the Green Jacket back and leave it here … maybe,” he said.

“That motivated me to work harder that last week at home and try and get myself into some kind of form that can maybe go back‑to‑back and keep the jacket for another year.

“But it's been, like I said, I think all the great things I've been looking forward to are going to happen this week and it's going to happen for another year and another year and another year.

“Like … going up in the Champions Locker Room has been a dream come true.”

Adam Scott jokes with the media about his Champions locker arrangements with golfing legend Gary Player. PHOTO: Getty Images

Scott shares a locker with nine-time major champion Gary Player.

“Which is nice for me,” Scott laughed. “He gets a lot of mail, so there's not a lot of room for myself in there (laughter), but we make it work.

“That's okay.  My stuff is kind of scattered around a bit on the floor. I don't know, I haven't seen him here this week, so I don't know how he feels about that yet.”

As for the responsibilities returning champions have causing enough distraction to hinder players successfully defending, Scott would hear anything of it.

“I don't know if there are answers to why only a couple guys have managed to repeat their performance,” the Queenslander said. “It's just one of those things. I certainly don't think any of the responsibilities are so draining that it's going to cost you having a good week out on the golf course.

“It's just one of those things; in time, I'm sure more and more guys will, but at the moment, it's only a couple, but I'd like to add my name to that list this week.”

With the Champions dinner out of the way, Scott said he will be ready to focus 100 percent on winning the Masters again.

“I'll be ready to get inside the ropes and compete,” he said. “I'm trying to balance everything the best I can and enjoy it. I think once it's down to Wednesday, the nerves and anticipation will build and I'll feel like it's just another major championship to go and play.”

The 33-year-old World No.2 has not played competitively since the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill three weeks ago when he squandered a seven-shot lead midway through the tournament to finish two strokes behind eventual winner Matt Every.

Scott left Bay Hill that night, bound for two days of practice rounds at Augusta, realising there was still plenty of work to be done before he could be confident of defending his Masters title. Having had 63 putts over the weekend at Bay Hill, it was a good reminder how much putting practice he needed to do before this week.

Scott has been working intensely in recent days with coach Brad Malone on all facets of his game, especially putting. PHOTO: Getty Images

“I feel I'm playing really well,” Scott said. “I really like the last couple week's work I've done.

“The game was there at Bay Hill and I've just tried to keep it there, and I felt like it was getting to a place where it needed to contend here.

“Hopefully I've sharpened it up a little more since then, but I'm definitely feeling a lot more comfortable on this golf course over the last few years, and certainly winning … and the confidence you take from that helps, as well. So I look forward to playing Thursday.”

There is extra motivation for Scott to play well this week. He will replace Tiger Woods as World No.1 if he finishes better than a two-way tie for third place.

But he says his focus is purely on winning this week, not becoming the game’s top ranked player.

“There's absolutely motivation, but the motivation is just to play well,” he said. “I feel like my game is at a point where if I play well, I have got a chance to win this tournament. That's my goal this week and the follow on from that would be World No.1.

“I've had a couple goes at that the last couple times I've played and it hasn't worked out. I just think you just have to keep playing well consistently to be No.1.

“If I can keep chipping away at it, whether I win or not this week and get to No. 1, my goal is just to keep playing well. “I don't tee up thinking I'm going to try to be World No.1. You've just got to keep playing well.

“For the guys who have been World No.1, it's been a process to get there and that's where I'm at, at the moment, and I'm getting close. But it will take four great rounds this week.”

Scott’s campaign for back-to-back Masters wins begins at 10.41am on Thursday (12.41am Friday AEST) playing alongside PGA Champion Jason Dufner and young Englishman Mike Fitzpatrick, the US Amateur Champion.

SCOTT’S MASTERS STATS

Masters played:   12

Cuts made:   10

Rounds Played:    44

Money Won:    $2,890,264

Scoring Avg:   72.30

Low Round:    66

Rounds Under Par:    18