Golfer Angel Cabrera Will Controversially Return to Masters After Prison Stint for Assaulting Ex-Girlfriends

Angel Cabrera, the 2009 Masters champion, will return to the distinguished golf tournament this week for the first time since he was sentenced to a 30-month prison term for domestic violence against two of his former girlfriends — but not without controversy. 

The Argentine golfer, 55, pleaded guilty to the charges and served two concurrent prison sentences stemming from the gender abuse charges, which included the intimidation and harassment of his former girlfriends Cecilia Torres Mana and Micaela Escudero, according to ESPN.

Former winners at the Masters tournament are granted lifetime qualification for future tournaments, allowing Cabrera a clear path to return to the tour following his stint in prison.

"It seems as long as male athletes can excel at hitting a ball, we excuse those same men hitting women,” Jamie Klingler, co-founder of the Reclaim These Street advocacy group, told the BBC ahead of Cabrera’s return to the course.

Others within the golf community are seemingly welcoming Cabrera back with open arms. "I can't wait to see him," said golfer Adam Scott, who defeated Cabrera in a playoff at the Masters in 2013, denying him a second green jacket.

Masters chairman Fred Ridley called Cabrera “one of our great champions” and lamented him not being able to play at the Masters in past years, saying the tournament would “definitely welcome him back if he's able to straighten out those legal issues."

Cabrera opened up about his past in a sitdown interview with Golf Digest in 2023, shortly after he was released from prison. The golf magazine republished the interview on Tuesday, noting that Cabrera’s inclusion at this week’s Masters tournament “will turn heads” because of his “abhorrent activity” in the past.

“I am repentant and embarrassed,” Cabrera told the outlet in 2023. “I made serious mistakes. I refused to listen to anyone and did what I wanted, how I wanted and when I wanted. That was wrong. I ask Micaela for forgiveness. I ask Celia for forgiveness. They had the bad luck of crossing paths with me when I was at my worst. I wasn’t the devil, but I did bad things.”

One of Cabrera’s former girlfriends turned down interviews with Golf Digest, with Escudero’s lawyer telling the outlet “that stage of her life is over.” The outlet notes that Mana, who did not respond to their request, had penned a 2021 essay detailing Cabrera’s assaults, writing that their relationship “quickly turned into physical and psychological submission” and alleging Cabrera sexually and physically abused her.

Cabrera’s longtime golf teacher Charlie Epps said the former Masters champion received support from several fellow professional golfers, including Gary Player and Bernard Langer, who wrote letters to him while he was in prison. By the time Cabrera’s prison sentence ended in 2023, Sports Illustrated reported he had not picked up a club in roughly three years.

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Cabrera is now back on tour, winning the inaugural James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational this past weekend — his first professional tournament win in more than a decade, according to ESPN — with his mind set on the Masters.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.