PUNTA MITA, Mexico — Angel Cabrera is back in his element.
After spending 30 months in prison for domestic violence, the 55-year-old past champion of the Masters and U.S. Open has returned to competing in professional golf tournaments. He’s rejoined PGA Tour Champions and made 12 starts this season with a best finish of fourth at the SAS Championship in October. He even won a Legends Tour event in June, beating James Kingston 3 and 1 in the final, marking his first professional victory in four years.
Cabrera competed in the WCW Mexico Senior Open at Pacifico Golf Course, Nov. 15-17, along the southernmost point of the Riviera Nayarit, 30 miles northwest of the resort city of Puerto Vallarta. After his second-round 73, Cabrera went straight to the range to iron out a wrinkle in his swing before kicking back at “The Deck” with his amateur partners and enjoying a late-afternoon nibble. As others washed their food down with adult beverages, Cabrera stuck to water. Married again and with a young child, Cabrera has much to live for back in Cordoba, Argentina — he also maintains a longtime residence in Houston when he’s playing the Champions tour — and is trying to live a better life and make amends for the mistakes he’s made. He lost three years on the golf course but said he “feels reborn” and still has ambitions of winning senior majors.
Feeling better about his game and with his appetite quenched, Cabrera sat with Golfweek for an in-person interview and conversed in Spanish via an interpreter for this Q&A.