MASTERS champion Angel Cabrera knows he would not knock football off its perch as the most popular sport in Argentina if he won five majors. He has nevertheless captured the imagination of his home nation this week by returning to compete in his home town just a few days after slipping into the green jacket at Augusta.
Two days after winning the Masters on the second hole of a three-way play-off at Augusta, the man nicknamed El Pato (the Duck) arrived in his home town of Villa Allende, nestled in the hills in the province of Cordoba in north-central Argentina to
a rousing welcome.
His presence is attracting unprecedented galleries in Argentina this week as he attempts to win the Centro Open in his home town for a record eighth time.
Before first round play got under way yesterday, crowds were expected to triple to 8,000 thanks to Cabrera, who became the first South American to win the Masters at the weekend. Hundreds gathered to watch him practice earlier this week.
"Cabrera's presence has sparked an unusual interest," in the tournament, Cordoba Golf Club president Manuel Tagle acknowledged.
Cabrera is one of 140 players competing in the 78th annual Centro Open. Andres Romero, Daniel Vancsik, a four-time champion on the European Tour, and Villa Allende native Eduardo Romero, winner of the 2008 US Senior Open, are also in the field. But Cabrera is the one they all want to see.
The 39-year-old has won the tournament seven times – including three in a row to 2007. Another victory would give him the tournament record. "There are no limits in a golf career and more titles can always be won," he said. "I'm very proud because it was a year of hard work (preparing for the Masters]".
The field for the Centro Open includes defending champion Estanislao Goya, who won his first European Tour title last month, the Madeira Islands Open. The 20-year-old Goya topped the Tour de Las Americas money list last season, but is not holding out much hope of repeating such a feat this weekend. "This year it's going to be impossible to repeat a title win with Cabrera here," Goya said. While triumphant images of Cabrera dominated the front pages on Monday of Argentina's leading daily newspapers, La Nacion and Clarin – space normally dedicated to Sunday's football frenzy in Argentina – the Masters winner acknowledged his moment in the sun will be short lived. "The fact that I won the Masters is not going to change the importance of football in my country," said Cabrera.
But he hopes his second major victory after the 2007 US Open will give golf another boost in Argentina, following other historic achievements in other sports. The third-place finish by the Pumas in the 2007 World Cup bolstered interest in rugby, and the continued success of David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro on the world tennis circuit has drawn flocks of youngsters to the sport. Cabrera, ranked 18th in the world, hopes his win will be a catalyst for golf in his homeland. "Returning to Argentina with a major is very important," he said, "so that golf continues to grow in my country."
Thirty years ago, Cabrera was introduced to the game as a caddie at the exclusive Cordoba club. From a humble background, he was raised by his grandmother and started playing at 15 with borrowed clubs. Club member Romero supported Cabrera financially, enabling him to compete at home and abroad and at 20 he turned pro. Both majors are his only wins on the US PGA Tour, and he has three other titles on the European Tour.
In claiming the US Open and Masters he joined South Africa's Gary Player as the only foreign players to win both, and vowed there was more to come. "With sacrifice and work, anything can be done," Cabrera said. "Now I'm going for the third major and I'm not going to stop until I win at least five."
