Cabrera wins Masters thriller

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April 14, 2009

Argentina’s Angel Cabrera added a Masters green jacket to his 2007 US Open title after winning a three-way play-off.

Argentina’s Angel Cabrera added a Masters green jacket to his 2007 US Open victory on Sunday – and stopped 48-year-old American Kenny Perry becoming the oldest major champion in history.
He also kept his composure when Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods were making a spectacular charge and threatening the leaders after starting seven shots off the pace who stumbled on the closing holes
In the end the pair tied with Perry’s Ryder Cup team-mate Chad Campbell on 12 under par and were forced to go to a sudden death play-off.
Campbell went out when he missed a par putt of under four feet on the first hole of the play-off, but although he looked in trouble Cabrera made a seven-footer to stay alive there and then triumphed with a par at the second extra hole when luckless Perry, who had bogeyed the final two holes after leading by two shots, missed the green and failed to get up and down.
At 69th in the world, Cabrera went into the tournament as the lowest-rated Masters champion since the rankings began in 1986 – and his triumph came 41 years after his compatriot Roberto de Vicenzo became one of the unluckiest losers ever in major golf.
De Vicenzo was all set to go into a play-off with American Bob Goalby at the same Augusta National course, but signed for a par four on the 17th when he had actually taken three.
The rules stated that he had to accept the higher score and so he is forever listed as a Masters runner-up.
That looked likely to be Cabrera’s final position as well, but Perry brought back horrible memories of his finish to the 1996 US PGA championship.
On that occasion he was two ahead with one to play, but carded a closing bogey six, sat in a television studio and watched Mark Brooks birdie the 18th to tie and then lost the play-off.