1 week Ago By Thomas Bristow
A unique subplot taking place this week at the Masters is the return of Angel Cabrera. The 2009 champion makes his first Masters appearance since being released from prison in 2023. The 55-year-old spent 30 months behind bars for assaulting two ex-girlfriends - Cecilia Torres Mana and Micaela Escudero.
Following his reintroduction into the world, Cabrera sealed a return to golf through the PGA Champions Tour. It didn't take him long to get back to form and clinch his first win on Sunday . On Thursday he was back playing at the Masters.
If patrons were upset to see him there they didn't make it known. On the 14th tee box, arriving with Laurie Canter and Adam Schenk, the Argentinian and his fellow players received a somewhat muted welcome. But after piping his drive down the middle of the fairway there was a rippling applause.
As he walked up the fairway there were shouts of 'Angel!' and a clapping of hands to go with it. After Canter hit a good approach, Cabrera turned around to give him a thumbs up. But his demeanor soon changed to one of frustration after slightly pulling his approach left.
He cleaned up for par and received yet another applause. On the 15th tee, he slightly pulled his drive. Standing right next to fans he reacted to one patron gave him a thumbs up, gesticulating that his drive should have cut.
Further down the fairway, a fan raised their Masters cup to Cabrera as he looked around. The Green Jacket owner did not exhibit any of the Tiger Woods focus which totally blocks out the spectators, he was looking at the patrons regularly. A calm applause was a reward for his par on 15 while a smattering of claps awaited him on the 16th tee box.
Taking himself up the fairway there was a shout of 'Go Angel!' as he went on to secure a par. Cabrera finished the day 3-over. His presence at the Masters has constantly been backed by those around him despite backlash from women's rights groups.
Augusta National and Masters chairman Fred Ridley defended his participation on Wednesday . "We certainly abhor domestic violence of any type," he said when responding to Mirror US Sports' question. "As it relates to Angel, Angel has served the sentence that was prescribed by the Argentine courts, and he is the past champion, and so he was invited.
" He was greeted warmly at the range by Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka earlier in the week after justifying his own appearances at the masters. Cabrera responded to those who believe he shouldn't be at Augusta National this week. "I respect their opinion and everybody has their own opinion and I respect that," he said on Tuesday.
He added: "Life has given me another opportunity, I got to take advantage of that and I want to do the right things in this second opportunity. "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 okay, so I just have to keep doing what I know I can do right.
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 what's coming." Asked if he believes he should be at Augusta National this week, he replied: "I won the Masters, why not?" Cabrera's former girlfriends came forward with harrowing accounts of "physical, psychological, and sexual abuse". He was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison and served 30 months.
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