Rory McIlroy found a note from Angel Cabrera in his locker on the day of his Masters win. The 35-year-old has finally clinched his career Grand Slam, adding an elusive Green Jacket to his collection of US Open, Open Championship and PGA Championships.
However, the day started with a surprise when the Northern Irishman arrived at Augusta National. He explained: “I got to my locker this morning and I opened it up.
“There was a note in there from Angel Cabrera. Just wishing me luck. And Angel Cabrera was the player I played with on the final day in 2011.
“It was a nice touch and a little bit ironic at the same time. It’s been 14 long years. But thankfully I got the job done.”
Cabrera won the Masters back in 2009, and made his first appearance at the major tournament since his release from prison in 2023. The 55-year-old spent 30 months behind bars for assaulting two of his ex-girlfriends.
And while the Argentine’s invitation to the first major of 2025 was met with resistance from women’s rights groups, Fred Ridley – who is the chair of the tournament and the course – defended his participation.
Prior to the tournament, Ridley explained of Cabrera (via the Irish Star): “We certainly abhor domestic violence of any type. As it relates to Angel, Angel has served the sentence that was prescribed by the Argentine courts, and he is the past champion, and so he was invited.”
Cabrera, meanwhile, also defended his own participation while sending a message to those who were critical of his appearance at the tournament.
He said: “I respect their opinion and everybody has their own opinion and I respect that. 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. There was a stage in my life of five years, four, five years, that they weren’t the right things I should have done.
“Before that I was okay, so I just have to keep doing what I know I can do right. Obviously I regret things that happened and you learn from them.
“But at the same time those are in the past and we have to look forward what’s coming.” Cabrera won the Masters back in 2009, after an incredibly tense play-off with Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry.
The trio all finished the event with a score of 12-under-par, with Campbell eliminated on the first play-off hole at the 18th, before Cabrera bested Perry on the 10th to clinch the second major of his career – after winning the US Open two years prior.
Cabrera was in contention again at Augusta two years later along with McIlroy, who boasted a four-shot lead heading into Sunday before shooting a final round 80. In a victory 14 years in the making, he’s now made up for that heartbreak and so many more in the decade-plus since.
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