Ángel Cabrera
Cabrera in 2007
Personal information
Full nameÁngel Leopoldo Cabrera
NicknameEl Pato (The Duck)
Born (1969-09-12) 12 September 1969
Córdoba, Argentina
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight210 lb (95 kg; 15 st)
Sporting nationality Argentina
ResidenceCórdoba, Argentina
Children2
Career
Turned professional1989
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
Tour de las Américas
TPG Tour
Professional wins53
Highest ranking9 (2 October 2005)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour3
European Tour5
Asian Tour1
Other47
Best results in major championships
(wins: 2)
Masters TournamentWon: 2009
PGA ChampionshipT19: 2000
U.S. OpenWon: 2007
The Open ChampionshipT4: 1999

Ángel Leopoldo Cabrera (pronounced [ˈaŋxel kaˈβɾeɾa]; born 12 September 1969) is an Argentine professional golfer who has played on both the European Tour and PGA Tour. He is known affectionately as "El Pato" in Spanish ("The Duck") for his waddling gait. He is a two-time major champion, with wins at the U.S. Open in 2007 and the Masters in 2009; he was the first Argentine and South American to win either.[2] He also lost in a sudden death playoff at the Masters in 2013.

Background and personal life

Born in Córdoba, Argentina, Cabrera's father, Miguel, was a handyman, and his mother worked as a maid. He was three or four when his parents split up and was left in the care of his paternal grandmother. Cabrera stayed with her until he was 16, when he moved in a few feet away, to the house of Silvia,[3] twelve years his senior, and a mother of four boys. They had a son, Federico, followed by another, Ángel.

When Cabrera was 10, he became a caddy at the Córdoba Country Club, which he says almost became his home. He learned golf playing against other caddies for money. His fierce determination and powerful swing soon caught the eye of members, one of whom, Juan Cruz Molina, a local real estate magnate, bought him his first set of clubs when he was 16.

With his stocky figure and habit of smoking at every hole, Cabrera cut a distinctive figure on the course. He is also acknowledged as having one of the biggest swings in the game. His son Federico became a professional golfer in 2008 and entered the PGA Tour's qualifying school in 2011, but was eliminated in the second stage. His other son, Ángel, became a professional in 2012 and joined the Canadian Tour. The elder Ángel and his sons also compete on PGA Tour Latinoamérica.

In January 2021, Cabrera was arrested in Rio de Janeiro as a result of Interpol issuing a red notice due to him having left Argentina without authorization following the start of a trial where he was facing a number of criminal charges, including assault, theft and illegal intimidation.[4] He remained in a Brazilian prison[5] until June 2021, when his extradition to Argentina was completed. In July 2021, he was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison.[6][7] In November 2022, he was convicted of a second assault and sentenced to an additional two years and four months in prison.[8] He was released on 4 August 2023.[9] Cabrera was cleared to play in PGA Tour-sanctioned events in December 2023.[10]

Professional career

Early career

Cabrera turned professional at age twenty and his first three visits to the European Tour Qualifying School were unsuccessful. On his fourth trip in 1995, made with Molina's financial assistance, he qualified for membership of the European Tour in 1996. Cabrera retained his card comfortably in his first three seasons and improved substantially to tenth on the Order of Merit in 1999. He has since finished in the top 15 of the Order of Merit on seven occasions, with a best placing of fifth in 2005.

European Tour wins

Cabrera's first European Tour win was the 2001 Argentine Open, which was sanctioned by the European Tour on a one-time basis that year. In 2005, he won the BMW Championship, the most prestigious event on the European Tour outside the majors and the World Golf Championships. However, it was only his third European Tour win, a tally which was perhaps disappointing given his consistent form on the tour. At that point, Cabrera had also won seven non-European Tour events in Latin America, where the standard of play is much lower than on the European Tour.[11]

Cabrera featured a highest of 9th in the Official World Golf Ranking[12][13] on 2 October 2005. He was the top-ranked Latin American player for a number of years before the emerging pair of Andrés Romero and Camilo Villegas won PGA Tour tournaments in 2008. Cabrera earned enough money ($623,504) on the PGA Tour in 2006 playing as a non-member to earn a tour card for 2007. He has played almost full-time in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

In 2009, Cabrera announced partnership with Gary Player Design to collaborate on a golf course design business with a focus in Latin America.[14] This coincides with golf, the Olympics and Brazil coming together in 2016.

2007 U.S. Open win

Cabrera won his first major championship at the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont near Pittsburgh. He finished the tournament at 5-over, topping runners-up Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk by one stroke. Cabrera entered the third round as the leader at even par, after finishing the first round at 1-under, and shooting 1-over on the second day. He struggled during the third round, finishing 6 strokes over par, putting him 4 strokes behind Aaron Baddeley and two behind Woods. Cabrera rebounded and came back strong on the last day. He birdied one of the longest par-3 holes in major championship history when he sunk a 20-foot (6 m) putt at the 8th hole, which played at a lengthy 300 yards (274 m) on Sunday. Cabrera finished one stroke under par, bringing him down to 5-over (285) for the championship, just enough to secure his first career major victory. At a post-round interview Cabrera said "Well, there are some players that have psychologists, some have sportologists, I smoke."[15]

Cabrera became the first Argentine player to win the U.S. Open and the second to win a major, joining Roberto De Vicenzo, who won the British Open in 1967 at Royal Liverpool (Hoylake). Cabrera received the 2007 Olimpia de Oro ("Golden Olympia") as Argentina's sportsperson of the year.[16]

2009 Masters win

Cabrera won the Masters Tournament in 2009 in a three-way sudden-death playoff, seeing off Chad Campbell after the first playoff hole, and defeating Kenny Perry on the second. On the first playoff hole, the 18th, Cabrera missed right of the fairway, leaving his ball stymied directly behind a tree. On his second shot, he hit a shot right of the tree that would have sent the golf ball onto the 10th hole fairway, but ended up hitting another tree about 30 yards (27 m) ahead, bouncing left and settling in the center of the 18th fairway. He and Perry both got up-and-down for par, while Campbell missed his 4-foot (1.2 m) par putt and was eliminated. On the second playoff hole, the 10th, Cabrera made par to defeat Perry, becoming the first Argentine to win the Masters.[17] He was the lowest-ranked golfer to win the Masters, having been ranked 69th before the tournament.

2011

In 2011, Cabrera was in the mix to win a second Green Jacket at Augusta when he was in the final pairing on Sunday, four strokes behind leader Rory McIlroy. Cabrera was tied for the lead at one point during the afternoon, but bogeys on 12 and 16 derailed his chances. He posted a final round 71 which placed him in sole seventh, five strokes behind the South African Charl Schwartzel. This was however Cabrera's best finish in a major tournament since his win back in 2009. He missed the cut in the years other three major championships and failed to qualify for the season ending FedEx Cup playoffs, finishing 154th in the standings. His best finish of the season was a T6 in the fall season at the McGladrey Classic.

2013

At the Masters in 2013, Cabrera was again in the final pairing on Sunday. After taking a two shot lead on the front nine, Cabrera proceeded to lose the lead and after failing to birdie the par-5 15th and was two shots behind leader Jason Day. Day then bogeyed two holes in succession and when Cabrera made a 20-foot putt for birdie at the 16th he tied Adam Scott and Day briefly for the lead. As Cabrera stood on the 18th fairway, up ahead on the green and playing in the penultimate group, Scott holed a birdie putt to take the lead. Cabrera hit a 163-yard (149 m) 7-iron to 3 feet (0.9 m) and knocked in the putt to force a playoff. On the first playoff hole, Scott's second shot was 160 yards (146 m) out, but rolled back off the front of the green. Cabrera's second shot also came up short, rolling back off the green and coming to rest behind Scott's ball. Cabrera's chip just slid by the hole. Both players then made par sending them onto the 10th for the second playoff hole. Scott and Cabrera hit their tee shots in the fairway and matched each other with approach shots which landed on the green giving both birdie chances, Cabrera with 18 feet (5 m) uphill and Scott a downhill right to left 12 footer. Cabrera's putt was a turn away from dropping in, giving Scott a chance to win with his putt. Scott made the putt defeating Cabrera and bringing Australia their first ever green jacket.

Although Cabrera was fully exempt on the PGA Tour, he occasionally competed in Argentinian events on PGA Tour Latinoamérica, a developmental tour in Latin America whose 2013 members included former PGA Tour winners Carlos Franco and Ted Purdy. Cabrera won the 2012 Visa Open de Argentina and the 2013 Abierto del Centro.

2014

Cabrera won the Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia on 6 July 2014, his first PGA Tour victory since claiming the green jacket in 2009. It was his third win in the United States, but his first non-major win on the PGA Tour. Cabrera shot a six-under-par 64 on both Saturday and Sunday to secure the title, winning $1.17 million[18]

2015

Cabrera finished in the top-25 only twice and wound up 170th on the PGA Tour's money list.

Team golf career

Cabrera was a member of the international squad in the Presidents Cup in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2013.

Professional wins (53)

PGA Tour wins (3)

Legend
Major championships (2)
Other PGA Tour (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 17 Jun 2007 U.S. Open 69-71-76-69=285 +5 1 stroke United States Jim Furyk, United States Tiger Woods
2 12 Apr 2009 Masters Tournament 68-68-69-71=276 −12 Playoff United States Chad Campbell, United States Kenny Perry
3 6 July 2014 Greenbrier Classic 68-68-64-64=264 −16 2 strokes United States George McNeill

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2009 Masters Tournament United States Chad Campbell, United States Kenny Perry Won with par on second extra hole
Campbell eliminated by par on first hole
2 2013 Masters Tournament Australia Adam Scott Lost to birdie on second extra hole

European Tour wins (5)

Legend
Major championships (2)
Flagship events (1)
Other European Tour (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 1 Apr 2001 Open de Argentina1 67-65-69-67=268 −12 2 strokes Sweden Carl Pettersson
2 12 May 2002 Benson & Hedges International Open 68-73-68-69=278 −10 1 stroke England Barry Lane
3 29 May 2005 BMW Championship 70-70-66-67=273 −15 2 strokes Republic of Ireland Paul McGinley
4 17 Jun 2007 U.S. Open 69-71-76-69=285 +5 1 stroke United States Jim Furyk, United States Tiger Woods
5 12 Apr 2009 Masters Tournament 68-68-69-71=276 −12 Playoff United States Chad Campbell, United States Kenny Perry

1Co-sanctioned by the PGA of Argentina Tour

European Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2005 Deutsche Bank Players Championship of Europe Sweden Niclas Fasth Lost to birdie on third extra hole
2 2009 Masters Tournament United States Chad Campbell, United States Kenny Perry Won with par on second extra hole
Campbell eliminated by par on first hole
3 2013 Masters Tournament Australia Adam Scott Lost to birdie on second extra hole

Asian Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 4 Nov 2007 Barclays Singapore Open 71-63-70-72=276 −8 1 stroke Fiji Vijay Singh

PGA Tour Latinoamérica wins (2)

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 16 Dec 2012 Visa Open de Argentina 65-70-71-64=270 −18 4 strokes Argentina Miguel Ángel Carballo, Mexico Óscar Fraustro
2 21 Apr 2013 Abierto OSDE del Centro 72-72-76-64=284 E Playoff Argentina Rafael Gómez

Tour de las Américas wins (7)

1Co-sanctioned by the TPG Tour

TPG Tour wins (4)

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 15 Apr 2007 Abierto del Centro1 66-75-73-65=279 −5 2 strokes Paraguay Raúl Fretes
2 27 Oct 2007 Torneo de Maestros1 68-73-71-65=277 −7 Playoff Argentina Ricardo González
3 22 Dec 2012 Ángel Cabrera Classic 70-68-66-71=275 −13 6 strokes Argentina Ricardo González
4 14 Dec 2013 Ángel Cabrera Classic (2) 72-62-69-67=270 −18 Playoff Argentina Miguel Ángel Carballo

Argentine Tour wins (23)

1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
2Co-sanctioned by the Tour de las Américas

Cordoba Tour wins (6)

  • 2001 (2) Ascochingas Tournament, La Cumbre Tournament
  • 2002 (2) Rio Cuarto Tournament, Las Delicias Tournament
  • 2008 (1) Cordoba PGA Championship
  • 2009 (1) Angel Cabrera Tour 2nd Tournament

Other wins (9)

Major championships

Wins (2)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunners-up
2007U.S. Open4 shot deficit+5 (69-71-76-69=285)1 strokeUnited States Jim Furyk, United States Tiger Woods
2009Masters TournamentTied for lead−12 (68-68-69-71=276)Playoff1United States Chad Campbell, United States Kenny Perry

1Defeated Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell in a sudden-death playoff: Cabrera (4-4), Perry (4-5) and Campbell (5).

Results timeline

Tournament199719981999
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open Championship T51 T4
PGA Championship T41
Tournament2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
Masters Tournament CUT T10 T9 T15 CUT CUT T8 T37 T25 1
U.S. Open T37 T7 T66 T35 16 T33 T26 1 CUT T54
The Open Championship CUT CUT CUT T22 CUT 7 34 CUT T24
PGA Championship T19 T37 T48 T45 CUT CUT CUT T20 T63
Tournament201020112012201320142015201620172018
Masters Tournament T18 7 T32 2 CUT T22 T24 CUT CUT
U.S. Open T22 CUT T46 CUT CUT T64 T37 CUT
The Open Championship CUT CUT CUT T11 T19
PGA Championship CUT CUT CUT WD WD
Tournament 2019
Masters Tournament CUT
PGA Championship
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament11026112013
PGA Championship000002157
U.S. Open1001241813
The Open Championship000126168
Totals210410236941
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2008 PGA – 2010 U.S. Open)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2001 Masters – 2001 U.S. Open)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament 200120022003200420052006200720082009
The Players Championship T26 T36 CUT CUT CUT CUT T14
Tournament 201020112012201320142015
The Players Championship CUT T41 WD T55 T38 WD
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament1999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014
Match Play R64 R64 R32 R32 R32 R64 QF R64 R64
Championship T25 T17 NT1 T36 T16 T18 T26 T19 WD T50
Invitational T19 T23 T4 T41 T4 T69 T36 T4 T33 T38 T31
Champions

1Cancelled due to 9/11

  Top 10
  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No tournament
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Results in senior major championships

Tournament2020
The Tradition NT
Senior PGA Championship NT
U.S. Senior Open NT
Senior Players Championship T70
Senior British Open Championship NT

"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Team appearances

References

Wikinews has related news:
  1. ↑ "Week 40 2005 Ending 2 Oct 2005" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. ↑ Angel Cabrera Wins the 2009 Masters
  3. ↑ "Angel Cabrera Wife Silvia and New Girlfriend Coki". FabWags. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "Angel Cabrera: Masters winner arrested in Brazil and faces extradition to Argentina". Sky Sports. Associated Press. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  5. ↑ Gómez, Ramón (18 March 2021). "Solicitud formal—Todavía detenido en Brasil, el golfista Ángel Cabrera pidió ser extraditado a la Argentina" [Formal request—Still detained in Brazil, the golfer Ángel Cabrera asked to be extradited to Argentina]. Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  6. ↑ "Angel Cabrera: Former Masters and US Open champion jailed in Argentina". BBC Sport. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "Golfer Angel Cabrera sentenced to 2 years in prison for assaulting former partner". ESPN. Associated Press. 7 July 2021.
  8. ↑ "Argentine Golf Champion Cabrera Sentenced Again For Assault". Barron's. Agence France Presse. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  9. ↑ Fernando Llosa, Luis (8 August 2023). "Angel Cabrera to be released from prison after serving 30 months". Golf Digest. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  10. ↑ "Angel Cabrera cleared to return to PGA Tour after prison". ESPN. Associated Press. 19 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Angel Cabrera – Tournament Wins". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  12. ↑ Official World Golf Ranking – 2 October 2005
  13. ↑ 69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking
  14. ↑ "Cabrera to develop courses with Gary Player Design". PGA Tour. 2 October 2009.
  15. ↑ Cabrera disbelief at US Open win, BBC, 18 June 2007.
  16. ↑ "Cabrera named Argentine Sportsperson of the Year". PGA European Tour. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  17. ↑ "Masters 2009". BBC Sport. 12 April 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  18. ↑ "Cabrera wins Greenbrier Classic". ESPN. Associated Press. 6 July 2014.
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