'Why not?': Convicted felon Angel Cabrera hits back at Masters return critics

It has been six long years since Angel Cabrera walked the verdant green fairways of The Masters.

The 2009 champion spent two years in a gray Argentine prison cell, convicted of making threats against former partners.

During the customary par-three contest at Augusta National on Thursday morning (AEST), there were cheers from some sections of the gallery who were glad to see the return of a man they believed had done his time.

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But not everyone is ready to forgive and forget. But he understands that.

“Everybody has their own opinion, and I respect that," he said.

But Cabrera is also steadfast in his belief that he belongs at Augusta National again.

“I won the Masters,” he said. "Why not?”

Once feted with a parade through the streets of Cordoba for his US Open triumph in 2007, and celebrated again for his victory at Augusta National two years later, Cabrera found himself staring down prosecutors in July 2021.

The man known as “El Pato," or “The Duck,” for his waddling gait had been accused of making threats against one of his former partners.

Cabrera ultimately was sentenced to prison, and a year later, pleaded guilty when another ex-girlfriend came forward with similar claims. The court made the two sentences concurrent, but the result was still three years and 10 months behind bars.

He was released on parole in August 2023 and cleared to return to the PGA Tour Champions later that year.

Now, after winning the Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational on Sunday, the 55-year-old Cabrera is back at the Masters, where chairman Fred Ridley affirmed that his lifetime status as a former champion remained intact.

“We certainly abhor domestic violence of any type,” Ridley said on the eve of the tournament Wednesday.

“As it relates to Angel, Angel has served the sentence that was prescribed by the Argentine courts and he was a past champion, so he was invited.”

Cabrera spent 15 minutes speaking with a small group of reporters beneath the stately oak that serves as a popular meeting point near the Augusta National clubhouse.

He was honest but succinct. He was contrite. He acknowledged the mistakes that he had made, and said that he was back with feelings of both hope and gratitude.

“Life has given me another opportunity. I got to take advantage of that,” Cabrera said, speaking in Spanish.

“There was a stage in my life of five years — four, five years — that they weren't the right things I should have done. Before that, I was OK.

"So I just have to keep doing what I know I can do right.”

That includes striking a golf ball.

After he was paroled, and before Cabrera could secure his visa to travel outside of Argentina, his longtime coach, Charlie Epps, brought him a set of clubs to begin practicing again. There was a bit of rust, but the swing didn't feel a whole lot different than it had a couple of years earlier, when Cabrera made the cut in the Senior Players Championship.

“I started to practice a lot, getting in form," Cabrera said. “I don't know if exactly my game's back technically.”

It was good enough to win last weekend. In a PGA Tour Champions event that he only got into at the last minute when Mark Hensby withdrew, Cabrera was tied with KJ Choi on the 17th tee. He made birdie and pulled one shot clear.

On 18, he safely found the green, two-putted from for par, and he was able to celebrate a victory that seemed a decade in the making.

Or perhaps longer during those long nights in prison.

“Obviously I regret things that happened and you learn from them, but at the same time, those are in the past and we have to look forward to what’s coming," Cabrera said.

That included the Champions Dinner, when Cabrera was able to once again join a collection of past winners to celebrate and reminisce.

Scottie Scheffler, as the reigning champion, chose the menu, and Cabrera was looking forward to having a chance to catch up with old friends like Gary Player, who has become one of his biggest supporters.

“I can’t wait to see him,” said Adam Scott, who beat Cabrera in a playoff to win the 2013 Masters.

“It’s a happy thing for me. We’ve got a fairly long history. I first met him on the European Tour before we both were on the PGA Tour.

"We have played in Presidents Cups, we’ve been partners. I’m thrilled he’s going to be back joining us this year."

Cabrera will play his first two rounds with Laurie Canter and Adam Schenk.

His Masters campaign officially begins at 12.59am (AEST) Friday morning.