Ex-Masters winner who went to prison set to end six-year Augusta National exile

Angel Cabrera is set to feature at the Masters Tournament in 2025.

It will be the first time that the Argentine star has played at the event in Augusta since 2019.

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Having won the event in 2009, Cabrera knows exactly what it takes to win the prestigious green jacket.

But after six years away, the 55-year-old will be hoping to make a big statement.

Cabrera skipped the Masters during 2020 and 2021 during the height of COVID-19.

He then spent 30 months in a south American prison for domestic violence.

Having been arrested in Brazil in 2021, Cabrera spent six months in prison after triggering an Interpol warrant for leaving Argentina without authorisation.

He was eventually extradited to his home country of Argentina to face assault, theft and legal intimidation charges.

The 55-year-old was convicted of assaulting and stealing the mobile phone of his former parner Cecilia Torres, before also being convicted with assaulting another former partner, Micaela Escudero.

Serving his sentences concurrently, Cabrera reportedly said in his second trial that his time behind bars had ‘done him good’.

Opening up to GolfWeek, he said: “That was a very dark chapter in my life and it gave me the opportunity to understand that I was doing things very wrong and it was helpful to understand that. Now I can be a good person.”

While he was invited back for the event in 2024, the invite went unused due to an expired visa.

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However Cabrera is among the 92 stars who are listed as invitees by the Augusta National Golf Club for the 2025 event.

Former winners receive a lifetime exemption to The Masters and Cabrera gained entry to the US recently, playing on the Champions Tour at the Chubb Classic in Florida last month.

Ben Crenshaw, who has moderated the Champions Dinner since 2005, said he is looking forward to welcoming Cabrera back to the table for the first time since 2019 to honour defending champion Scottie Scheffler.

“I tell you what, I’m excited to see Angel,” he said.

“The focus of the dinner will be on Scottie (Scheffler), but it’ll be great to have Angel back.”

The Masters is set to take place in August between August 10 and August 13.

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Last year’s event was won by Scottie Scheffler with the American hoping to win it for the third time in four years.

Doing so would be his third success at the event – a long way off the overall record held by Jack Nicklaus who has won the prestigious green jacket on no less than six occasions.