From Poverty to International Stardom: Latino Golfer Angel Cabrera Wins the Masters

After a breathtaking day of high drama, Angel Cabrera won the 2009 Masters Tournament, beating Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell in a playoff on the second hole. He was the last man standing, his burly frame fitted for the famous green jacket in the fading Georgia twilight after he tapped in for a simple par on the second play-off hole.
"This is a great moment, the DREAM of any golfer to win the Masters," Cabrera said in Spanish, through an interpreter. "I'm so emotional I can barely talk."

Cabrera, born September 12, 1969 in Villa Allende, Argentina, left school at the age of 10 to become a caddy, carrying golf bags in order to put food on his family's table. His friends, most of whom were a little older than he was, were caddying at the Cordoba Golf Club and they suggested he join them. "I´ll go and see what is all about," he told himself. After that one exploratory trip, he found his dream.

In Argentina, caddies have opportunities to become Golf Professionals and Cabrera soon emerged as one of the promising young players in the region. When he was 18 years old, he finished sixth in the prestigious Center Open in Cordoba, so he knew he wanted to make this game his career.

After several years of playing with scarce resources and with the help of some club members, he played in and out of the country with good results. In 1996, with the economic help of Eduardo Romero, renowned player of the US Champions Tour, Angel obtained the European Tour card. In 2001, he won his first title when the Argentine Open was part of the Old Continent tour. He joined the PGA European Tour in 1996. Cabrera went on to win International Tournaments including the US Open and the Grand Slam of Golf both in 2007.