Argentinean Angel Cabrera Captures Masters Title

Masters Sunday was a day when everyone wanted to win the green jacket for a variety of reasons. Kenny Perry wanted to become the oldest golfer ever to have won a Masters or for that matter a Major Championship, Chad Campbell wanted to win his first Major and Angel Cabrera wanted to win a second Major all for him.

In the end when Kenny and Chad would not have mind if the other won, it was Cabrera who was the determined one in the three-way playoff and who will be going home with the green jacket of a Masters Champion.

It was a dramatic Masters certainly more so than the last two years. There was the much wanted Sunday match up between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Although they teed off an hour and six twosomes before the final pairing of Perry and Cabrera they charged and made a day of it.

First it was Mickelson with a six birdie no bogey 30 on the front nine to surge within two strokes of leader Cabrera at the time. Then he double bogeyed the difficult 12th hole to fall back a little.

But the leaders were standing still. Even after Woods and especially Mickelson from within five feet missed eagle putts on the 15th hole they were in the hunt for the 73rd Masters title.

When Tiger deuced the 16th hole he was tied with Mickelson and they were one stroked behind Perry who was leading at that moment. It was the crescendo of the charge and a feeding frenzy for the patrons gathered at Augusta National for such an occasion.

The charges were halted though by a bogey-bogey T6 finish for Tiger and a par-bogey fifth place finish for Mickelson.

That was when the tournament began to get real interesting. Campbell drew even with Perry with a two-putt birdie at the par-five 15th hole with Cabrera two strokes back. He then returns to the scene of his Saturday double bogey and almost holes his tee shot on the fly for an ace.

Then he misses the 10-footer coming back for birdie. Perry and Cabrera birdie the 15th within eyesight of Campbell’s deuce. Perry has a one stroke lead over Campbell and two strokes over Cabrera with three holes remaining.

Perry one ups Campbell’s shot on the 16th by almost rolling the ball into the hole for his own ace. Perry taps in for a deuce and is back in the lead by two strokes over Campbell. Cabrera not to be forgotten drains his own 12-foot birdie putt to stay within two strokes of Perry.

Campbell finishes par-par almost holing a putt for birdie on the 18th green. Perry playing with Cabrera in the last group bogeys No. 17 while Cabrera pars to narrow the gap to one stroke. Both players miss the 18th green. Cabrera gets it up-and-down while Perry does not. Net result is a three-man sudden death playoff for the 2009 Masters title.

The 18th is the first playoff hole and Cabrera is seemingly out of it after driving his ball deep into the woods on the right. Seeing a “Bagger Vance” like hole through the trees he hears his ball hit a tree but doesn’t know where it went. He is relieved when his caddie tells him it is in the middle of the fairway.

Meanwhile Campbell and Perry both hit the fairway and are in good shape. Perry hits first and ends up short of the right bunker. Campbell hits next and goes into the right bunker. Then Cabrera needing an up-and-down par from 114 yards hits a sand wedge to inside 10 feet.

Perry almost holes his chip shot and is the first one in with par. Campbell’s bunker shot is good and inside four feet. Cabrera drains his do-or-die putt for par. Campbell misses his short par putt and is eliminated from the playoff.

The playoff moves on to the 10th hole where Cabrera cracks a three-wood down the right hand side of the fairway. Perry follows with a good drive though not as far as Cabrera’s tee shot. Perry plays first and misses the green to the right.

Cabrera hits the green and has a 15 foot birdie putt. Perry’s recovery chip runs out 20 feet past the hole. He missed the lengthy par putt and Cabrera two-putts for his par the 2009 Masters title.

Chad Campbell who got beat at the 72nd hole of the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill reflected on his loss: “I'm probably a little more disappointed this time, because I hit a lot of good shots on the last hole, and I guess I'll take the 18th hole there at the PGA.

"I hit a good shot in there and I just got beat by a better shot. And today, I kind of blew it myself. I hit bad shots.”

Campbell hit many good shots beating all but two guys in the field of 90 including most of the best golfers in the world. He had his chances for victory, namely the putts at 16 and 18 in regulation.

A gracious loser this time around he was quick to applaud Cabrera on his victory. “He's obviously a great player, two Majors. That's pretty impressive.”

Perry had a putt to win and was disappointed in the outcome. “I had that putt on 18 that I've seen Tiger make it; I've seen so many people make that putt.

"I knew exactly what it was. That was probably the most disappointing putt of the day because I hit it too easy. You know what; you've got to give that putt a run. I mean, how many chances do you have to win the Masters?”

The Ryder Cup Champion who got beat praised the victor. “He's in the trees, he hits it out and he hits a beautiful sand wedge in there for a six-, eight-footer, I don't know how long it was, to get in a playoff. You have to hand it to him. He was fighting just as hard as I was out there.”

Perry’s loss to Mark Brooks in the 1996 PGA Championship in his home state of Kentucky at Valhalla was on his mind the whole week. “If this is the worst thing that happens to me, I can live with it. I really can. Great players get it done, and Angel got it done. This is his second Major he won. I've blown two, but that's the only two I've had chances of winning.”

In the end Perry as a member of the 2008 United States Ryder Cup team got it done at Valhalla. Kenny Perry for himself maybe didn’t but who cares about that?

Perry is sincerely happy to be alive and the ever optimist really knows what it is all about. “I'm looking forward to Bethpage Black. I'm looking forward to the British, to the PGA. You know what; I know I can do it now, because it was fun.

"I was actually having fun in the moment out there.” It’s all about the opportunity, the ability to try your hardest and let the chips fall where they may. Angel Cabrera won this tournament he is a deserving champion.

Mr. Perry is a realist and knows what life and the game of golf is all about. “So you know what, it's tough when it comes down to one shot can do it here and there. You know, our game's tough. It's a mental game and it plays a lot with your head out there. So I'm going to enjoy it.”

Enjoy it all my friend—the US Open, the British Open, the PGA Championship, and the President’s Cup. Did I hear you correctly in that you are going to go “across the pond” and play at Turnberry this year?

Perry always the realist knows the three-putt on No. 13 hurt him along with some missed birdie opportunities. “I had so many birdie opportunities and I just couldn't convert them, and that's what hurt me in the end.” Surprisingly so it was not the Mickelson-Woods charge that got him in the end it was his playing partner Angel Cabrera of Argentina.

Perry, though he would not vocalize it wanted to win this one for his dad and very ill mother. He wanted to wear the green jacket in the parade for the Kentucky Derby where he and his dad are grand marshals.

“I hope they are not too sad. You know, Dad, he will try to pump me up if I know my dad. You know what, he just feels sorry for me. He just wanted me to win. I know it with all his heart, he wants the best for me just like I want the best for my kids. We'll have a good conversation tonight.”

In the end Perry summed up what everyone was thinking whether a golfing competitor,  a member of August National that put on and hosted this event, Bobby Jones from the great golf course in the sky, or a regular patron whose family bought him the ticket for his upcoming 60th birthday.

“The golf course was perfect, but the weather helped. The weather was great also. We had a combination. This was a beautiful Easter Sunday. There was not a cloud out there, just a gentle breeze. It was warm. It was a great week of golf.”

As far as the champion Angel Cabrera was he having a good time out there? “I was happy with my game and I had confidence. I was just trying to enjoy the moment.” Giddy yup he sure was.

After beating Tiger woods and Jim Furyk at the US Open at Oakmont CC in 2007 what is it with Angel Cabrera? “I think I'm more prepared. I think the U.S. Open got me by surprise. This win, I'm more prepared.” Maybe we are looking at a Padraig-like, a Tiger like “Angel Attack” or “Cabrera Clobbering?”

Cabrera is the ultimate competitor and knowing champion. “I felt good during the playoff. Obviously one bad shot, it costs you the tournament, but overall, I felt relaxed.” In the end it was Campbell’s par putt at 18 and Perry’s approach shot into 11 in the playoff that cost them the tournament.

 
In the end Cabrera beat two American Ryder Cup Champions down the stretch with several more in the background hoping for an opportunity to win. In the heat of battle in the most intensive match play format of a sudden-death playoff Cabrera persevered against the odds.

This does not bode well for the American team in the upcoming President’s Cup in October at Harding Park. Angel Cabrera congratulations on a job well done and for a well deserved green jacket. We look forward to a rematch in October.

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering for the tournaments and working part time for NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and The Golf Channel.

He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to [e-mail]