Angel Cabrera has enjoyed the highest of highs in golf.
But he has also seen what rock bottom looks like having been jailed for 30 months after he was found guilty of assault and intimidation against two of his ex-partners.
Cabrera won the Masters, the most prestigious event in the sport, in 2009.
It was the Argentine’s second major having won the 2007 U.S. Open.
Cabrera’s triumph at Augusta was made all the more special given he was ranked 69th prior to the event.
He came agonisingly close to winning the iconic green jacket for a second time in 2013 when he lost in a playoff to Adam Scott.
Cabrera subsequently skipped the Masters during 2020 and 2021 during the height of the Covid pandemic.
But his life was flipped on its head when he was accused of domestic abuse by Micaele Escudero and Cecilia Torres Mana.
Cabrera’s failure to appear in an Argentinian court in January 2021 triggered an Interpol warrant for his arrest, which eventually happened in Rio de Janeiro.
The 55-year-old spent five months inside a Brazilian jail before he was transferred back to his home country and was imprisoned at the Carcel de Bouwer.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Cabrera described his time in Brazil as ‘the worst part and the most difficult’ of his prison ordeal.
“Pretty much all the time, I was locked down,” Cabrera said.
“There was not much walking or moving or anything like that.
“I was sleeping in some pieces of cloth on a bed that was basically cement.
“I was locked in with someone else, so we were two locked down there, and the cell was like two metres by two metres.”
Cabrera was kept abreast of developments in golf thanks to his manager, who brought him magazines during visitors hours.
The final months of the two-time major winner’s sentence were spent at a minimum-security facility.
It was at this prison where he rekindled his golf skills as Cabrera used a broom handle to rehearse his swing.
Cabrera was released in August 2023 and is now preparing to compete in the Masters for the first time in six years.
The 55-year-old has vowed to seize his ‘second chance’ in life.
“Right now I’m fine,” Cabrera said.
“But I regret everything that I have done wrongly in the past. I am also frustrated that I dumped very, very important years of my life. i made mistakes.
“It is one of the worst things that can happen to a human being, not being able to have freedom.
“The lack of freedom is something really difficult, really hard. And on the other hand, you know, I can tell you that the most important thing I feel right now is the second chance, the opportunity to get back on the right track.”
One individual who is excited to have Cabrera back at Augusta is Ben Crenshaw, who has moderated the Champions Dinner since 2005.
Thanks to his victory in 2009, Cabrera will have a seat at the table at the dinner to honour Scottie Scheffler, who won the Masters last year.
“I tell you what, I’m excited to see Angel,” Crenshaw said.
“The focus of the dinner will be on Scottie (Scheffler), but it’ll be great to have Angel back.”
The Masters will commence on April 10.
