The Masters - Murphy's Law: Give Angel his due

Eurosport - Mon, 27 Apr 21:53:00 2009

Yahoo! Sports' Brian Murphy believes Angel Cabrera was a deserving Masters champion at Augusta.

Angel Cabrera during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National, April 2009 - 0

Now that we've established that the 2009 Masters will always be remembered for Tiger and Phil getting their Jack-Arnie/Ali-Frazier moment, and now that we've established that the 2009 Masters' next most popular story line is the heartbreak of good guy Kenny Perry, let's turn our attention to that tertiary story line: the Masters champion.

Oh, yeah: him. Nearly forgot about Angel Cabrera, didn't you?

That's what happens when you get the nickname 'El Pato', or 'The Duck'. You will note, of course, that Earl Woods did not choose to nickname his son 'The Duck' or 'Ducky', lest he get confused with Jon Cryer's unforgettable turn as a New Wave wannabe in John Hughes's epic piece of cinema called 'Pretty in Pink'.

I get the feeling Cabrera doesn't need your attention, really. He's got his friends, his countrymen and the green jacket, so if you'll excuse him, he's got some partying to do well into the early hours of this week. Based on that Daly-esque physique of his, we can rest assured that Cabrera's post-Masters party tray includes heaping helpings of milanesas, or breaded and fried meat in a sandwich. (See? Cabrera's win already has this Irish-Italian boy all over Wikipedia's 'Argentine cuisine' chapter.)

At any rate, if we're in the business of remembering the 2009 Masters for its epic moments, then why hasn't enough ink been spilled on Cabrera's All-World 'four' on the first playoff hole, the 18th?

To wit: tee shot pumped right, into the trees. Second shot ricocheted off a tree bark, kicking into fairway. Third shot, a wedge to eight tricky feet above the hole. Fourth shot, the eight-foot slider with the Masters on the line.

Like I said: All-World 'four'.

Or, if you prefer, we can dust off the golf nugget 'working man's par', which is appropriate for Cabrera, a man of the people who started as a caddy and still gives back to the youth in his home country.

If there were ever a workingman's Masters champ, it's Cabrera, who may be the first man to wear a green jacket with a shank on his ledger in the final round. Or did you miss his hosel rocket on numder eight, a brutal bit of spray from the middle of the fairway? For Cabrera to come back from that and still make par on the hole speaks to the man's character.

That he seemed totally out of it and forgotten on the 13th tee, three back of Perry, suited Cabrera just fine. All he did from there was birdie 13, par 14, birdie 15, birdie 16, save par on 17 and make par on 18 to force the play-off.

Two things of note: his birdie on 16 was magic, a 15-foot knee knocker after Perry had stolen all the thunder with a near-ace off the tee. And his par save on 17 was from off the green, while Perry was making bogey from darn near the same place.

Oh, and then the All-World 'four'' in the play-off, a par so legendary that even Perry, eyeballing his first Major, stood and applauded it before they headed to the 10th tee.

For too long on Sunday, we concentrated on all the buzz of Tiger and Phil, and I was as guilty as the rest. When Mickelson and Woods left the premises, it felt like a concert where the promoter screwed up and scheduled the headliner first, leaving us the opening band on stage while the crowd trickles out. It took me, and probably the rest of you, about a hole-and-a-half to re-focus on Perry and Cabrera, and it happened around 16, when Perry walked off with a two-shot lead and Cabrera was an afterthought.

Just like he was an afterthought at Oakmont in 2007, when we waited and waited for Tiger or Jim Furyk to win the US Open and Cabrera just sat in the clubhouse, making love to a box of cigarettes. They never caught him.

Cabrera doesn't smoke anymore. He worked some Nicorette gum, showed more nerve than any other player in the field and in the process joined an elite group of Masters/US Open double-dippers, a group that includes the usual suspects like Tiger, Jack, Arnie, Hogan and Player, but also includes players like Tom Watson, Ray Floyd, Billy Casper and Fuzzy Zoeller.

With the win, Cabrera also redeemed Argentina's reputation at Augusta National, some 41 years after Roberto de Vincenzo signed an incorrect scorecard and missed out on a play-off with Bob Goalby. De Vincenzo is a mentor to Cabrera, and Cabrera told us, through his translator, that de Vincenzo gave Cabrera a photo of a green jacket years ago as inspiration, to win it for Argentina.

He did. And while we all wring our hands over Tiger and Phil and Kenny Perry, Cabrera dances away with his friends and countrymen, laughing, toasting, smiling and bringing joy to the masses. Good for him. Maybe, eventually, his story will elevate to the top memory of the 2009 Masters. Not likely, though.

Still, if anybody wants to discuss better 'fours' in the history of the Masters, I'll take Cabrera in '09 and take on all comers.

Brian Murphy, Yahoo! Sports / Eurosport

Comment 1 - 7 of 7

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  1. Cabrera deserves a lot of credit for getting into the­ final group with great playing on Saturday. On Sunday,­ he in fact took the lead all by himself after an early­ birdie, but then he faltered in the middle. His short­ game and putting and course management kept him in the­ game and helped him make his way back into contention. ­ So, when Kenny Perry failed to close it out, he was­ there to take advantage of it.

    From BobW, on Thu 16 Apr 4:56PM
  2. "Making love to a box of cigarettes" - what a­ quip? what marvelous writing!

    I respect the article­ and as a 15 handicapper who's often amongst the­ trees, I marvelled at Cabrera's scrambling and­ nerve.

    From thilakanramalingam, on Wed 15 Apr 3:06PM
  3. I must admit, after seeing the drive on first sudden­ hole... i thought the guy was toast... incredible third­ shot under such pressure... since i was for perry to­ win.. i was extremely disappointed... but after­ thinking it over and reading more about angel i am­ happy camper with his win... kenny had a chance... two­ over on the last two holes was not acceptable for him­ much less me... 17th hole was the bust for him..
    how he­ could go over the green is beyond me... perhaps he­ thought the masters was a wrap.... think again... and­ angel... watching plug away all day... not stroking as­ well for most of the match until last holes... it was a­ pleasure to see... so again, i am happy camper for­ him... and for me too... good guy won and good guy­ came in second... what could be better... tell me? ciao

    From jim m, on Wed 15 Apr 8:57AM
  4. Not surprised Angel C won.I,ve watched him play great­ golf against the greatest several times.He has a rock­ solid steadiness,stength and world quality.Like his­ great Argentinian predecessor Roberto De Vicenzo.Best­ man in this particular Masters.

    From ken, on Tue 14 Apr 8:15PM
  5. meaty meaty meat

    From Zark, on Tue 14 Apr 2:46PM
  6. He held it together better than anyone when it mattered­ most!! Congratulations Angel!!

    From jhr881, on Tue 14 Apr 1:05PM
  7. Well done Angel, thoroughly deserved.

    From owen gayer, on Tue 14 Apr 11:36AM
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