Angel Cabrera, the former Masters champion, prepares to return to the prestigious tournament following a turbulent period marked by legal troubles and personal challenges. This past rule violation case in July 2021, a 55-year-old amateur golfer received a two-year prison sentence. He was convicted of interstate threats and cyberstalking with Cecilia Torres Mana. Just months earlier, Cabrera had gone on trial in November 2022 for similar charges related to the death of Micaela Escudero. Despite the checkered history, he thinks he should get an invite to the Masters. After all, he’s done it before — in that same, famous green jacket.
Cabrera, who received a lifetime exemption into the Masters tournament with his 2009 victory, said he looked forward to playing. And he’s due to be at Augusta National Golf Club’s annual Champions Dinner on Tuesday night. Looking back on his decision to play, he said, “Everybody has their own opinion and I respect their opinion. This recognition of perspectives beyond his own speaks to the complicated nature of his much-publicized return to the game of golf’s highest level.
Since his leave from Cabrera has been open about his struggles, including treatment for alcoholism. He completed a difficult regimen, including daily medication aimed to make drinking alcohol unappealing. Now that the first steps have been taken, Cabrera is all in on changing the game. He wants to ensure that he never squanders his second chance again. “I took advantage of that second chance and now what matters is making the right choices with it—what to do with this second chance,” he said.
Cabrera was victorious just recently at the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational. This win on the Old Course at Broken Sound Club in Boca Raton, Florida, represents a career-high point for him. The victory was his first on PGA Tour Champions circuit. Perhaps even more importantly, it has the potential to open a new, fruitful chapter in his career. It’s been since 2019 that he’s played in the Masters, when he missed the cut.
The golfer opened up about a past chapter of his life when he went down the wrong path. Cabrera spoke about the difficult period, about four or five years, that he hit that wall. He accepted responsibility for poor decisions made in that period.
Fellow golfer Adam Scott said he couldn’t wait to see Cabrera back, emphasizing a golf-inclusiveness, feel-good vibe among the competition. Cabrera prepares to throw down at Next Gen. He admits he understands the ambivalent reaction to his presence there, but proceeds to the redemption arc on which he came to run.
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