Angel Cabrera outlines Masters ‘dream’ after release from prison

Angel Cabrera is determined to make a comeback in professional golf and has outlined his dream to return to the Masters. 

Cabrera was released from prison in August after serving two-and-a-half years in custody in Brazil and Argentina over multiple domestic violence convictions relating to two former partners.

The two-time major champion finished T10 on his competitive return last week at the Abierto del Litoral (Coast Open) on the PGA Tour’s Latinoamerica Developmental Series in his native Argentina.

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And the 54-year-old has now spoken publicly for the first time since his prison release in an exclusive interview with Golf Digest.

Cabrera has expressed remorse for his “serious mistakes” but also says he has ‘paid his debts’ and he’s “going to work as hard as I can to clean up my image.”

“I don’t look for people to blame anymore,” he said, reflecting on his experiences in prison. “While I was detained, I realised that if I had still been out — and been behaving the way I had been — I would probably not be alive now.

“There were nights I lay in my cell thanking God for my imprisonment. What I had been doing was so crazy,” he said. “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.”

It emerged in the Golf Digest story that Cabrera is a new husband and father. Partner Yamila Alvarez gave birth to son Felipe in November 2022 and the pair married after four years together following his release from prison.

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Now, Cabrera is focusing on playing elite golf again and wants to return to the Masters, where he won the Green Jacket in 2009.

“It’s my dream to return to that prestigious place and walk the course that gave me so much joy and satisfaction,” he said. “It would be a great privilege to return and to attend the Champions Dinner with so many of the golf world’s greatest players.”

Augusta National has not commented on whether past champion Cabrera will be invited next year’s major, while it is also unclear whether the PGA Tour will imposes any sanctions on the player.

“I thought about making a comeback the entire time I was in prison,” Cabrera explained. “My goal is to prepare and play on the Champions Tour. When I’m out there competing, that’s when I’ll truly know if I can handle it physically at that level.

“Mentally, I’m already there. Golf is everything to me. It’s my life. I have to continue.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.