US Masters: Only three men inside the past year have experienced the elation that winning a major championship brings.

Only one of them is not American. Geoff Ogilvy is the odd one out, an Aussie who somehow manage to gatecrash the domain otherwise occupied by Phil Mickelson, the Masters champion, and Tiger Woods, who won the last two majors of 2006, the British Open and the US PGA.

If Ogilvy's US Open win at Winged Foot last June will probably be remembered more for the calamity that befell Mickelson and others rather than the Australian's refusal to creak under the pressure of the closing holes, so be it. The truth is that Ogilvy is a serious player, and destined to win more majors in his career. Why not here?

Yesterday, as the crowds enjoyed the azaleas and Monday roars from Amen Corner resonated around the course in a giddy prelude to the real thing, Ogilvy had the look of a fan rather than a potential champion. Ogilvy loves Augusta National.

And, rather than spend hour after hour on the range, this week he will spend most of his practice time out on the course, interacting with spectators on the other sides of the rope.

"That's the whole point of golf, isn't it? Just to enjoy being out there," he said.

Ogilvy, the world's eighth ranked player, made his Masters debut only last year. His best round was 70, his worst 75 and he finished 16th. It was a start.

Back then, though, Ogilvy wasn't the US Open champion.

Things have changed since he held his head at Winged Foot while all around him others were losing theirs. Now, he is one of a serious band of Australian players seeking to end that remarkable fact that no player from that continent has won the Masters.

Although the Masters is forever associated with his compatriot Greg Norman, it is for the Great White Shark's failings.

Yet, these days, the Australian strength is considerable. Apart from Ogilvy, who has shown them how, this merry band of wannabe major winners features Adam Scott - winner of the Houston Open on Sunday and up to third in the world rankings as a consequence - as well as Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby and Aaron Baddeley.

"Half the battle in majors is feeling like you can win a major," said Ogilvy. "The first time you tee it up in one of these things, just playing is overwhelming. So, thinking you can win is the first big hurdle to being able to actually do it."

When asked yesterday to explain the Australian "drought" in the Masters, he replied, "It's not actually a drought, because it's never rained." But he admitted, "it's kind of an enigma."

Scott won the Houston Open despite finding water on the final hole, eerily mirroring the manner of his victory in the 2004 Players Championship, so he'll be pleased there is no water on Augusta's last hole.

"I've gotten away with it twice now," he said with a wry smile yesterday. "Maybe the third time I won't be so lucky."

The 26-year-old will certainly need luck on his side, given a record of just one top-10 finish in five appearances at Augusta.

But if an Aussie were to triumph this week, Ogilvy wouldn't be in the least surprised.

"Just like every other tournament in the world at the moment, Australians are more likely to win than they were five years ago because there's more (of us) in the field and more good players. Every year, the chances go up of that drought being broken. There's five or six Australian guys that I could see legitimately wearing a green jacket on Sunday."

Ogilvy plans to wear gold-coloured shoes, a la the spikes worn by Michael Johnson in the Olympics in 1996, during the Masters. "Classy golf," is how he described his footwear, but his main concern in the practice days has more to do with familiarising himself with the course than with his fashion sense.

Once, last year, he left himself with a putt from behind the 13th hole, a notoriously difficult putt and one that he has learned is not wise to replicate.

Of his masterplan to play the course, Ogilvy observed: "You've got to choose a club that you're comfortable with, to try to keep the ball below the hole as much as possible.

"You can analyse this place as much as you want, but if you're below the hole it is quite playable. If you're above the hole, it is basically unplayable."

What Ogilvy has done is to prepare his way, which is to play the course. On the Monday after the CA Championship at Doral, he made a visit here and found the course to his liking.

"I'm getting more comfortable with it," he said.

Which isn't a bad frame of mind to be in for the Masters.