For decades Australian golf lovers have been creeping to their beds on a certain Sunday night in April wondering: Could this be the year?

You set the alarm for an unspeakable hour of the morning and when it goes off your first instinct is to turn it off and go back to sleep.

Why put yourself through it all over again.

Aussies are in contention in the Masters. But in your heart you know what lies ahead: only pain and disappointment.

Then like the fool who never learns you find yourself in front of the television for five hours of hope, expectation and the inevitable let-down.

How will it happen this time?

Here’s some of the back catalogue:

+ Jack Nicklaus shoots 30 on the back nine to beat you by one (Greg Norman 1986)

+ Tour nobody Larry Mize holes an amazing chip in playoff (Norman 1987)

+ Lead by six shots into final round, shoot 78 and lose by five (Norman 1996)

+ Lead into final round and shoot 78 (Craig Parry, 1992).

+ Lead into final round, double-bogey the first and shoot 75 (Stuart Appleby 2007)

+ Charl Schwartzel birdies last four holes to beat you by one (Adam Scott, Jason Day 2011)

You’ve watched all of this and come to believe there really is a curse on the green jacket. Australians are not meant to wear one.

Red-eyed with sleeplessness and despair you drag yourself to work – the boss wants to know why you’re late – and spend a worse Monday than usual.

Now it’s 2013 and on that certain Sunday night you know in your heart what lies ahead.

But you go through the same routine.

The alarm goes off and five hours later it’s no longer Groundhog Day.

From a nation of grateful insomniacs – thank you, Adam Scott.