Cabrera returns to Masters for first time since prison

Angel Cabrera will be welcomed back to Augusta National as a "true champion" this week as he returns to the scene of his 2009 Masters triumph for the first time in six years following his release from prison.

The Argentine was found guilty in 2021 of numerous charges that included assault, theft and illegal intimidation against former girlfriends.

He was released in August 2023 after serving 30 months in South American prisons.

All Masters champions receive lifetime exemptions to play in the tournament but Cabrera, who also won the 2007 US Open, was unable to take up his playing privilege because of visa issues.

Masters chairman Fred Ridley, speaking before the 2024 tournament, called Cabrera "one of our great champions", adding: "He has been unable to participate in the Masters the last couple of years due to legal issues.

"We certainly wish him the best of luck with that, and we'll definitely welcome him back if he's able to straighten out those legal issues."

Cabrera, according to a report in Sports Illustrated,, external did not touch a golf club for three years but on his release from prison was taken a set by his long-time coach, mentor and friend Charlie Epps.

The 81-year-old Epps said "golf is all he has left".

On Sunday the 55-year-old won his first strokeplay title since being freed - he also triumphed in a matchplay event on the Legends Tour in England in June 2024.

"It's emotional after everything that I've gone through," said Cabrera after winning the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational, a PGA Tour-sanctioned seniors event in Florida.

Cabrera, who won a play-off to win the Green Jacket in 2009 and also lost one in 2013 to Adam Scott, last played in the Masters in 2019.

He will also return to the annual Champions Dinner on Tuesday at Augusta National, which sees all past winners gather for a meal whose menu is chosen by the defending champion.

Host Ben Crenshaw - who won the 1984 and 1995 Masters - said: "I'm excited to see Angel.

"The focus of the dinner will be on Scottie [Scheffler, the reigning champion], but it'll be great to have Angel back."

Before last year's Masters, Cabrera told Golf Digest: "It is my dream to return to that prestigious place.

"I played at Augusta for almost 20 years in a row. It is like a second home to me. It would be a great privilege to return and attend the champions dinner with so many of the world's greatest players."

Cabrera was arrested in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, in January 2021. He had been on Interpol's Red Notice list, a worldwide request for police to arrest an individual, pending extradition.

He had been fugitive in Argentina since the previous August, after he failed to appear at a prosecutor's office following accusations of domestic violence by his partner, Cecilia Torres Mana.

Following his arrest in Brazil, he was remanded in prison until his extradition to Argentina in June 2021.

He was then convicted and sentenced to two years in prison. In November 2022, he was convicted of a second assault and sentenced to an additional two years and four months in prison.

Earlier this year, Cabrera told the Daily Mail: "Right now, I'm fine, but I regret everything that I have done wrongly in my past, and I am also frustrated that I dumped very, very important years of my life. I made mistakes."