Not long out of prison, Angel Cabrera very nearly beats rising PGA Tour stars at South Open in Argentina.
Angel Cabrera may have only just recently come out of prison but the two-time major champion has returned to the fairways like he has never been away from the game.
Cabrera, 54, was released from prison on 4 August 2023 after he spent more than two years in custody for domestic violence.
El Pato, the nickname for the Argentinian, was found guilty of committing crimes connected to two ex-partners.
Once he was set free, he expressed his aspiration to come back to the PGA Tour Champions.
Next month, that dream will become a reality, and based on the current indications, Cabrera may even achieve victory again.
In an event that consisted of former and current Korn Ferry Tour (the PGA Tour’s lower tier) members, Cabrera performed admirably on home turf with a third place finish at the South Open over the weekend.
Cabrera concluded the competition with a score of 8-under par and missed the playoff by three shots.
The playoff included Julian Etulain and Marcus Montenegro, with Etulain ultimately emerging as the winner. Cabrera, on Saturday, scored a 66 and, at a certain point in the game, found himself in the top position at the Mar del Plata Golf Club, which has a par of 70.
Several golf enthusiasts expressed their thoughts on Cabrera’s performance through various social media platforms, suggesting that he may have been practicing his golf skills while in prison.
“Pretty good for a guy who hasn’t played golf in three years,” commented one X user.
Another tweeted: “Looks like Angel may have had a Trackman and a net in his prison cell.”
Cabrera will next tee it up at the Hassan II Trophy on the PGA Tour Champions from 22-24 February at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Morocco.
According to ESPN, he has also entered a Korn Ferry Tour event the following week.
But the big one Cabrera has his eye on is The Masters, a tournament he is eligible to compete in having won at Augusta National in 2009.
The only issue is that Cabrera has been denied entry to the U.S. after serving more than 30 months in prison for domestic violence offences.
However, he has been given a lifeline by Augusta chairman Fred Ridley.
Cabrera is able to compete in Morocco next month as he does not require a visa there.
The 2007 US Open champion is now married and is a father to a little boy.
When he was released last August he vowed to make his return to competitive golf.
Cabrera told Golf Digest last month:
“I did all this to myself. But it’s done. I can’t erase how I acted. All I can do is move forward and do something different.”
Cabrera’s comeback to the game coincides with former PGA Tour player Anthony Kim’s rumored spectacular comeback.