Angel Cabrera plays first competitive round since prison release

Angel Cabrera has played his first competitive round of golf since being released from prison.

The two-time major champion recently spent two-and-half years in custody in Brazil and Argentina after being convicted of multiple domestic violence charges.

Cabrera, 54, was sentenced in July 2021 being found guilty of assaulting, threatening and harassing his ex-partner Cecilia Torres Mana.

He later pleaded guilty to further charges of threats and harassment to another former girlfriend Micaela Escudero, extending his prison term to three years and 10 months.

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Now, after being released from jail on parole on August 4, Cabrera seems keen to re-integrate himself onto golf’s professional tours.

First reported by Golfweek, Cabrera competed at the Abierto del Litoral (Coast Open) on the PGA Tour’s Latinoamerica Developmental Series in his native Argentina.

He shot an even par 71 in his opening round of the 72-hole tournament, which is his first competitive event since playing on the Champions Tour back in September 2020.

It appears increasingly likely that Cabrera is targeting a tour comeback, after longtime coach Charlie Epps told Golfweek last month that he is raring to go.

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“He’s been humbled,” Epps said. “He knows what he needs to do and he said he’s ready for a second chance. He prays to God he doesn’t take another drink. And he’s so headstrong. When he puts his mind to doing something, he’ll do it just like that.

“The way Angel plays on hard courses, I think he can still win the US Senior Open. I want him to be the comeback player of the year.”

After winning the Masters in 2007, Cabrera earned a lifetime invitation to the first major of the year. Augusta National is yet to respond to Cabrera’s possible return and it is unknown whether his invite will be honoured at next April’s tournament.

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.