Striding down the 10th fairway at the first hole of the playoff with Argentine Angel Cabrera, the normally soft-spoken Scott had to lean in and raise his voice just so that caddie Steve Williams could hear what he was saying.

Undeterred by the fading light and falling rain, crowds lined the right side of the 10th fairway, craning to catch a glimpse of history in the making.

The putt that sealed his fate as the first Australian to win at Augusta National has by no means been forgotten but seven years and seven months removed from the win that electrified a nation, it’s the noise Scott remembers most.

“It was getting very late in the day, it was getting a little bit dark at that point, it was cool, it was raining and it was very loud,” Scott answered at his Monday press conference.

“It was a unique atmosphere at that point for me to be in. It felt like it was really raw sports fans left out there.

“It shows how much everyone loves the event because they stay out there and get wet and want to see it right to the end.

“I remember walking all the way down the 10th hole, it was so loud that it was hard to talk to my caddie at a normal volume.

“That whole experience down the 10th I remember very well.”

Win or lose it’s an experience Scott won’t have again in a 2020 Masters with a difference.

Crowds will be limited to immediate friends and family of those taking part, the roars that course through the rolling topography of Augusta National each April put on mute for the time being.

Having played the US PGA Championship and US Open minus spectators, Scott says the lack of atmosphere will be the element most notable by its absence.

“A lot’s different about the year but this week and The Masters and these circumstances, there’s no doubt that the missing galleries is going to be the biggest difference,” said Scott.

“I’ve played two major championships since we’ve come back from this COVID break and it couldn’t be more different playing major championship golf without the spectators out there and the crowds and the atmosphere. That is a huge difference.

“From my point of view it was fantastic to have galleries back on the golf course (last week). It makes the world of difference for me.

“(The Masters) still means the same to us all and maybe even more so because we return to Augusta National every year.

“It’s an incredible experience and that’s why it means so much to us all. That will be the same.

“We’ll be missing one element but it is a huge element to the experience of playing The Masters.”

That Scott is playing at all looked doubtful less than a month out when he tested positive for COVID-19.

It necessitated 10 days spent in isolation in Los Angeles before making a return to tournament play at last week’s Vivint Houston Open, where he was tied for 32nd.

Winner of the Genesis Invitational in February, Scott was building strongly towards a second green jacket before the COVID-19 pandemic through his season into a tailspin.

“It’s been very challenging for me personally,” Scott admitted of the disrupted schedule.

“I’m not going to sit here and complain about how difficult it’s been but I was in good form back in the Spring and because of all the circumstances it’s really affected my preparation and practice and many things since returning.

“Certainly my form hasn’t been as good since, everything’s been very inconsistent.

“Since testing positive, last week wasn’t too bad. There was a lot of good stuff in there and hopefully the work that I have been able to do the past couple of months will accumulate and I’ll be able to finish the year with a bang here this week.”