BY BRENDAN JAMES at ROYAL MELBOURNE

The script called for Australia’s ‘Dream Team’ of Adam Scott and Jason Day to come home from their successful season overseas and win the World Cup of Golf on the nation’s premier layout, Royal Melbourne.

With Scott winning his second Australian Masters Gold Jacket around the famous layout last week, the script was written for him to star in the leading role again this week at the World Cup and for Day, the World No.18, to be his more than capable co-star.

Jason Day and Adam Scott pose with World Cup after an historic victory at Royal Melbourne. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

The scriptwriters got it wrong but the result was still the same. A dramatic finish entailed and it was Day who emerged victorious, capturing individual honours by two stokes from Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn. Scott was a further shot back in third place after a barnstorming final round of 66 saw him leapfrog six places in the top-10.

Day’s 10 under total was the spearhead for Australia to win the team’s event, which was sealed by Scott’s final day charge, as they skipped to a 10-stroke victory over the United States team of Matt Kuchar and Kevin Streelman. It was an amazing result for the Aussie duo, who ended the first day back in eighth place and rallied to start the final round one shot in front of the Americans.

Jason Day kisses the trophy after winning the individual event at the World Cup. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

In claiming the team title, Day and Scott have emulated the fantastic feat of Peter Thomson and Kel Nagle in 1959 by winning the World Cup on home soil at Royal Melbourne. In fact, Thomson followed Scott for several holes during the final round.

“Peter has been a great supporter of mine and for Australian golf for such a long time,” Scott said. “I knew at the start of the week he and Kel Nagle had won this event and its held in high regard by the Aussie players … I certainly wanted to put my name on the trophy.”

Day also received congratulations from Thomson.

“Peter said he was going to see his friend Kel Nagle and tell what he had seen today,” Day said. “And I replied, I’d like to have five British Opens … he said at least get three.

“It was a complete honour to play for Australia down here in Melbourne at such great sporting venue like Royal Melbourne’s composite course. To play in front of the Melbourne fans who are so passionate about their sport … it was amazing today.

“I know Scotty says I carried him the whole way but he gave me a scare on the front nine and he played some really good golf coming in. He’s had a great year, he’s played great at home and hopefully we’re going to play tough against each other at the Australian Open next week.”

It is the fifth time Australia has won the Cup in its 60-year history but only the second time it has been won in front of a home crowd. The legendary Thomson and Nagle claimed the Cup twice in the ‘50s, Bruce Devlin and David Graham won it in 1970, while Peter Fowler and Wayne Grady captured the title in in Spain in 1989.

Day’s individual trophy win is the third by an Australian with Fowler (1989) and Brett Ogle (1992) the others.

“I really don’t know what to think right about now,” Day said. “All the hard work and dedication I have put into my game over the past five to ten years is really starting to pay off.

“Even though the conditions out there were tough I had a lot of fun out there today. I learned a lot about myself and I’m just really excited about next week.”

Day plays a great bunker shot on the 16th to set up a par and maintain his one stroke lead. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

The 26-year-old Queenslander led by as many as four shots during the final round but it was only a bogey from Bjorn at the par-4 16th that broke a deadlock at the top of the leaderboard. Day held that advantage as he stood on the 18th tee and when Bjorn missed the final green with his approach, he was in the driver’s seat. He two-putted down the hill from behind the hole to claim the win – his first since the 2010 Byron Nelson Championship on the PGA Tour. It was his first victory in Australia since turning professional in 2006.

He gave his caddie/coach Col Swatton a long hug in the middle of the 18th green. Day was then mobbed by the ‘Fanatics’ in the gallery, before he found his Mum and two sisters standing beside the green. A week after finding out he had lost eight relatives in the typhoon that devastated The Philippines, this was the sweetest hug of all.

“To have my Mum here this week, to see her Saturday morning and have her out here this weekend, with my sisters … to be as a family, knowing that I can hold them, is very special to me,” Day said.

Day gives his caddie and coach, Col Swatton, a hug after sinking the winning putt. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

“To let them see me play good golf and to win … I’m just happy she’s here and I get to hug her.”

With Australia only holding a one-stroke advantage over the US heading into the final day, Scott needed to find a low round. He was seven shots off the lead, and his bid to keep the ‘Scotty Slam’ (winning in four consecutive weeks at home) alive appeared dead in the water.

But the Masters champion made a dream start. He pitched in from 110 metres for an eagle two at the 1st hole, which sent roars of applause across the Royal Melbourne layout. At the short par-5 2nd hole he found the green in two shots and left his eagle putt short and in the heart of the front of the hole, leaving a tap-in birdie. He rolled in another birdie at the par-3 3rd hole to move to six under and just three shots behind Day, who was yet to start his final round. When Day made a sloppy bogey at the 1st, Scott was just two strokes back and, seemingly, in contention to win.

Day stretched his lead to four strokes at the short par-4 6th hole when he emulated Scott’s early achievement by holing his second shot, from about 100 metres, for an eagle two. When Bjorn bogied the same hole, Day’s lead pushed out to four strokes.

On the 10th hole, Day, still sitting four shots clear of the field, took a long iron from the tee and blasted his shot over the corner of the dogleg and through the fairway into ankle deep rough. He tried to skirt the trees with his escape but his ball went further into trouble. He was forced to chip out backwards and then played his fourth shot onto the green from 120 metres. He ran his bogey putt just past the right edge of the cup and cleaned up for a double bogey six to be just two shots clear of team-mate Scott and Bjorn.

With Kuchar dropping back to five under after a bogey on the 10th, the individual honours came down to a race in three as the final group of Day and Bjorn walked to the 11th tee. The Australian duo already had a hand each on the World Cup teams trophy with an eight-stroke lead over the American team of Kuchar and Streelman.

The big Dane birdied the 11th to narrow the margin to one stroke as Scott, playing three groups ahead missed outside birdie chances at the 13th, 14th and 15th. Bjorn then stiffed his approach at the par-4 13th to leave a tap-in birdie, while Day’s long putt from off the green burned the edge of the cup. The result saw the pair tied for the lead at nine under and two strokes clear of Scott, who was playing the 16th hole.

After yet another perfect drive, Scott’ approach into the green of the long par-4 16th hit the upslope at the front of the green and stopped about 30 foot short of the hole. The Queenslander then rolled the uphill putt into the cup for a birdie to move within a shot of the lead at eight under.

The tournament neared its exciting climax as Scott lined up his birdie putt on the 17th hole as the leaders Bjorn and Day both approach the green of the par-5 15th. Bjorn’s second settled 45 feet from the hole, while Day missed the green to the right and was left with an incredibly difficult bunker escape. He played a gem, splashing the ball out to three feet from the flag. Bjorn’s eagle putt finished a similar distance and the pair putted out for birdies and with three holes to play they were locked at 10 under, two shots ahead of Scott.

Meanwhile, Scott’s long birdie attempt on the 17th hole was never really on line and he tidied up the short putt for par and headed for the 18th tee, probably thinking he would need a birdie to set the clubhouse mark at nine under to have any chance of keeping the ‘Scotty Slam’ alive.

Adam Scott pumps his fist after making birdie on the 16th hole at Royal Melbourne. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

The 16th hole of Royal Melbourne’s Composite course was always going to prove pivotal in deciding the winner of this tournament. The scoring average on the hole for the final round was 4.661 with more bogies than pars being scored. Scott’s birdie was the only one scored on the hole for the final day. With the stiff wind blowing left to right across the players, Bjorn’s drive finished deep in the trees to the right and he was forced to chip back out to the fairway. He backed that up by punching his third into the deep bunker short left of the massive putting surface. He extricated his ball from the deep pit and showed great nerve to convert the 12-foot bogey putt.

Day also played the hole the hard way. After a good drive, he missed the green to the right leaving a 45-metre bunker shot across the green to the flag. He played a remarkable third shot, which flew two thirds of the way to the hole, bounced and rolled with the slope down to six feet. He knocked in the putt for a great par and sole custody of the lead once again.

Up ahead, Scott hit another boring drive long and straight down the right side of the 18th fairway, leaving a straight-forward approach into the pin cut in the right third of the green. With his approach shot in the air, Scott called for the ball to get right on the wind but it maintained its straight line finishing 40 feet left of the cup. He lagged his first putt down to four feet and his second putt slid by the left edge leaving him with a bogey. His final round 66 was the best of the final round and, if not for the disastrous nine he racked up on the 12th hole on Thursday, he would have been on top of the leaderboard for a third Sunday in a row.

“I tried to keep my focus a little bit on the teams event after Thursday when I was a far behind,” Scott said. “Traditionally it has been a team event and it felt like we’re playing here at Royal Melbourne, for Australia, it would be good to get our names on the trophy.

“I think one day we’ll look back with really fond memories of this week, and very proud to have played here at Royal Melbourne, representing Australia and having won the World Cup for our country. Whether we win it again or not it will be a memorable experience for both of us.”

The final group dual continued down the 17th hole where both players left themselves short-range birdie attempts. Day’s 12-footer was downhill and slipped nearly five feet by the hole but he showed steely resolve to roll it in seconds after Bjorn tapped in his par putt.

Day walked to the 18th tee with a one-stroke advantage over Bjorn and team mate Scott in the clubhouse at seven under and three strokes back. His faultless drive and approach showed that he had learned a lot from his experiences in finishing in the top-10 at six major championships since the 2010 PGA Championship.

“To hit a great shot into 18 and finish it off like I did, to win, was a very big move in my golf career,” Day said.

Another move for Day will be in the world rankings and this will victory will put him close to re-entering the top-10 of the world ranking.

For full individual and team scores go to www.pgatour.com