The Masters will welcome Angel Cabrera if legal issues are ‘straightened out’
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley has said Angel Cabrera can’t presently enter the United States and will need his legal issues ‘straightened out’ if he is to play at the Masters…
The chairman of Augusta National Fred Ridley has said Angel Cabrera will be welcomed back at the Masters if his “legal issues” are solved.
Cabera was released from prison in August 2023 after serving 30 months for domestic violence charges and other charges that involved two of his ex-girlfriends.
The 2009 Masters champion was incarcerated in both Brazil and Argentina and he was granted an early release. He must now await permission to leave Argentina where he is from.
“Angel is certainly one of our great champions,” Ridley said at the Latin America Amateur Championship. “As we all know, he has been unable to participate in the Masters in the last couple of years due to legal issues.
“Presently, we have been in constant contact with Angel’s representatives. He, presently, is not able to enter the United States, he doesn’t have a visa, and I know that process has been worked through and we certainly wish him the best of luck with that.
“We will definitely welcome him back if he’s able to straighten out those legal issues.”
Golf Digest reported in December that Cabrera was reinstated to the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions after he’d been suspended during his sentence.
The 54-year-old won his Green Jacket and earned his lifetime exemption 15 years ago after beating Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry in a playoff in Georgia.
This was his second major title having also won the US Open in 2007 at Oakmont.
He almost won the Masters for a second time in 2013, but he was beaten in extra holes this time by Australian Adam Scott.
Cabrera hasn’t played at the Masters since 2019, nor has he played a ranking event since the Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae on the Korn Ferry Tour in the same year.
He played nine times on the PGA Tour Champions in 2020 but finished in the top 50 just twice. He played in a tournament in Rosario, Argentina in December where he came tied for 10th.
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
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