Angel Cabrera wins first tour-sanctioned event in 11 years, heads to Masters for first time in 6 years

Angel Cabrera just added some extra luggage for his trip to Augusta National this week, winning his first PGA Tour Champions event 20 months after being released from prison.

The 2009 Masters champion hasn’t been to the Masters since 2019. A lot has happened in his life since he was last able to drive down Magnolia Lane.

Cabrera, 55, last made the cut at the Masters in 2016, when he tied for 24th place at age 46. He lost to Adam Scott in a playoff in 2013 and won his first major, the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont.

But the Argentinian has only played in 25 PGA Tour Champions events since he turned 50 because he was in jail—starting in early 2021—stemming from criminal charges that included assault, theft and illegal intimidation. He was later sentenced to two years in prison, followed by a second assault charge that ended in a 28-month sentence. He was released in August 2023 and cleared to play in PGA Tour-sanctioned events shortly thereafter.

Which brings us to Sunday at the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational at the Old Course at Broken Sound in Boca Raton, Fla. Cabrera was in control for most of the day, but a bogey on the 15th hole dropped him back into a tie with K.J. Choi. But he made birdie on the 17th hole, and Choi bogeyed the last for Cabrera to shoot 71 and win by two shots. He shot 68-66-71, good for an 11-under-par total for the week.

“It's very emotional after everything that I've gone through the last couple years, so being here to have these chances again and win again for me is very much,” Cabrera said. “And obviously it was a hard battle out there.”

Last year, Cabrera had nine appearances on the Champions Tour and collected two top-10 finishes. Cabrera’s last win on the PGA Tour came at the 2014 Greenbrier Classic, nearly 4,000 days ago.

Now Cabrera heads north to Augusta for the Masters. Not only has he missed playing in the tournament for the past six years, that means he also hasn’t attended the Champions Dinner, which annually is on Tuesday evening. This year, of course, it’s hosted by 2024 champion Scottie Scheffler.

But Cabrera doesn’t want to think about all of that yet.

“Right now, I want to enjoy this,” Cabrera said. “The Masters, I’m going to be walking hole by hole, but I want to enjoy this right now.”