The China Mail - Cabrera returns to Masters with regrets in second chance at life

The 55-year-old from Argentina won the Masters in 2009 but has not played in a major since 2019 after being behind bars from 2021-2023.

Cabrera was approved to play PGA Tour-sanctioned events in 2023 and won last week's 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational.

"I'm very happy," Cabrera said on Tuesday. "Had a great week and that gives me a lot of confidence to even play better this week."

Cabrera said he has learned from his actions and hopes to make the most of his second chance beyond golf.

"Obviously I regret things that happened and you learn from them," Cabrera said. "But at the same time those are in the past and we have to look forward what's coming.

"Life has given me another opportunity. I got to take advantage of that and I want to do the right things in this second opportunity."

Cabrera sees himself as a changed man from the times he committed crimes.

"There was a stage in my life of five years that they weren't the right things I should have done," Cabrera said. "Before that I was OK, so I just have to keep doing what I know I can do right."

Cabrera, who defeated Americans Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry in a playoff 16 years ago to become the first Masters champion from South America, accepts that some golf fans don't feel he should be able to play at Augusta National again.

"I respect their opinion," he said. "Everybody has their own opinion and I respect that."

Cabrera said he never considered during his incarceration that he might never play the Masters again.

"I never thought of that, I just let things pass," Cabrera said. "I never thought either I was going to come back or not. It's just the way things happen."

Cabrera said he most missed his fellow players and the chance to simply walk the famed layout.

"I'm very grateful," he said. "Obviously the people of the golf world are very great with me and I just appreciated the way they treated me."

Cabrera is able to play the Masters as a past champion, but asked if he felt he deserved to play in the event again, he replied, "I won the Masters. Why not?"

Cabrera, who also won the 2007 US Open at Oakmont, will also be welcomed back to the Masters Champions Dinner on Tuesday night.

"I just want to have a great time," he said. "The family of golf, they are great colleagues and I missed them. I just want to have a great time with them."

- 'Joyfulness' in jacket -

It will give Cabrera a chance to once more don his green jacket, which remains at Augusta National after the year following a victory.

"Obviously joyfulness," Cabrera said about the feeling of wearing his green jacket. "To put it on, it's going to feel great again."

One former champion who has stayed in touch with Cabrera through his darkest hours is South African Gary Player.

"Since the situation I had, he has always been in contact with me, always been by my side. So the only guy I talked to is Gary," Cabrera said.

"Like any colleague, he wanted to give me advice, that things were going to happen and things would get better and that's what's happened."

Cabrera said he worked on his game to try and recover from not playing for so long, but winning a Champions title was beyond his expectations.

"I don't know if I'm exactly my game's back technically. I just started to practice a lot and get ready for this moment," Cabrera said.

"I knew I just had to practice and things would learn by themselves and that would happen, but I wasn't thinking of winning that trophy."

X.So--ThChM