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He overcame outrageous comeback bids by Tiger and Phil, a two-stroke disadvantage with two holes to play in regulation and a shot on the first hole of a three-man playoff that ricocheted off a tree. But in the end – as incredible as it may seem – Angel Cabrera was the man invited into the Butler Cabin early Sunday evening to slip into a shiny green jacket.

Cabrera became the third consecutive first-time winner of the Masters at Augusta National on Sunday when he managed to par two playoff holes while his competitors could not. And now this happy go-lucky bear of a man who plays the game with a boundless smile on his face has won two majors in a span of 22 months and is even more of a hero in his home nation of Argentina.

But, as mentioned, there were plenty of times on Sunday when you could have counted Cabrera out. When he stepped to the par-3, 16th green he trailed Kenny Perry, his playing partner in the day’s final pairing, by two strokes and then watched Perry hit what he would later call the shot of his life and nearly card an ace. Undaunted, Cabrera matched Perry’s birdie with a 16-foot birdie putt of his own and remained two down. Perry then bogeyed both 17 and 18 while Cabrera sank key par putts on both holes and all of a sudden a three-man playoff had materialized between Cabrera, Perry and Chad Campbell.

When the trio got to the 18th tee for the first playoff hole, Perry and Campbell hit their drives on the screws and landed them in the middle of the fairway. Cabrera’s drive, however, went way right, into the heavy pine needles and directly behind a tree. He appeared dead and buried once again.

But when Cabrera’s punch out shot ricocheted off a tree, it bounced directly into the fairway, giving him a chance at a difficult par. Sure enough, Perry and Campbell both hit errant approach shots. Perry saved par, Cabrera did the same with a suave 10-foot putt and Campbell failed to go up and down. And then there were two.

On the second playoff hole, Perry – who also lost a playoff at the 1996 PGA Championship – basically handed over the green jacket to Cabrera in a garment bag. After a perfect drive, Perry sent his approach shot into the rough to the left of the green, giving him a near impossible up-and-down for par. Cabrera calmly put his second shot to within 25 feet of the pin and then just needed a two-putt to win. And that’s exactly what he did.

It was a fitting end to a memorable day at Augusta. A day that started with golf fans holding out hope that maybe, just maybe, either Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson could climb back from the seven-stroke deficit they faced to begin the day and contend. Instead, both players made equally amazing runs at the lead, which sent electricity through the fairways. In the end, each of their bids fizzled.

But if you’re a fan of pure golf, today was your day to be sitting in front of your HDTV uninterrupted. The final two pairings of the day combined for 15 birdies. Add in the scorecards of Tiger and Phil and those three groups alone scored 27 birdies and an eagle.

Incredible golf. Incredible drama. But in the end it was the big man from Argentina that stood tall. And he has a tree somewhere on the 18th fairway to thank.

July 29, 2010 12:53 pm - The Globe and Mail - Golf
James Deacon on how Tiger prepares for crucial month.

July 28, 2010 6:04 pm - The Golf Channel
Rex Hoggard on how it's getting late but Tiger could have a good season with some late wins.

July 22, 2010 10:17 pm - Reuters
Mark Lamport-Stokes writes that Tiger Woods has only one chance left in a major in 2010.

July 22, 2010 9:57 pm - Daily Telegraph
Brian Moore writes that the treatment of Tiger Woods in Britain showed that the media is out of step with the public, which gave him an enthusiastic reception.

July 21, 2010 5:00 pm - The Golf Channel
Randall Mell wonders if Tiger is having a crisis of confidence and looks back if Jack Nicklaus ever experienced the same problem.

July 21, 2010 3:52 pm - Yahoo! Sports - Golf
Michael Arkush with some fun on a letter that he feels that Tiger Woods should send Dave Stockton which takes stock of his putting problems.

July 21, 2010 2:27 pm - USA Today - Golf
Steve DiMeglio with this comparison of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.

July 21, 2010 4:57 am - USA Today - Sports
Steve DiMeglio recalls the year Arnold Palmer revived the British Open.

July 21, 2010 4:52 am - The Boston Globe - Sport
Bob Ryan on Tiger Woods still stuck on 14 major wins.

July 21, 2010 4:37 am - Monterey County Herald, California - Golf
Kevin Merfeld on how history is against Tiger Woods catching Jack Nicklaus.

July 21, 2010 3:00 am - Associated Press
Doug Ferguson on how the reception is still the same, but reverence for Tiger Woods' records is missing.

July 21, 2010 2:39 am - PA Sport
Mark Garrod on how Louis Oosthuizen is about to start discovering just how much his life has changed since he won The Open on Sunday.

July 21, 2010 12:09 am - Golfweek
Jeff Babineau on how we went from thinking that 2010 was going to be a Tiger-slam year to now one in which he is searching for that 15th major.

July 20, 2010 5:04 pm - FOXSports - Golf
Kevin Allen reports that scandal may have hurt sales of Tiger Woods video game.

July 19, 2010 11:12 pm - San Jose Mercury News
Tim Kawakami on how Tiger Woods now just another very good golfer.

July 19, 2010 9:46 pm - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Golf
Garry D. Howard wonders if Tiger Woods is putting it all together for a big win at Whistling Straits.

July 19, 2010 8:39 pm - Augusta Chronicle, Georgia - Sports
Scott Michaux looks at Tiger's lost season.

July 19, 2010 3:33 pm - SI.com
Joe Posnanski writes that it's time to write off Tiger Woods.





February 14, 2010 12:40 am - CBS Sportsline - Golf Columnists
Steve Elling on hoe certain qualifiers will allow the Ping Eye2 wedges while others won't, just a mess.

September 3, 2009 4:26 pm - Golf.com - Gary Van Sickle
Gary Van Sickle with the opinion that Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer should play Augusta National after hitting the ceremonial first tee shots.

September 1, 2009 1:53 am - Augusta Chronicle, Georgia - Sports
Scott Michaux on how Jack Nicklaus will take rightful spot, shot next year.

September 1, 2009 1:49 am - Augusta Chronicle, Georgia - Golf
John Boyette reports that Arnold Palmer will have some company in April as Jack Nicklaus will be joining him on the first tee next spring as an honorary starter at the Masters Tournament.

June 2, 2009 1:52 am - Augusta Chronicle, Georgia - Golf
Chris Gay reports that the Augusta National is giving more that 43.4 million to charity.

May 6, 2009 8:29 am - Washington Post Foreign Service
Joshua Partlow reports on Angel Cabrera's homecoming to his small town of Villa Allende, Argentina after winning the Masters.

April 22, 2009 4:04 pm - Orange County Register, California
Randy Youngman on how Angel Cabrera takes advantage of the bounce to win the Masters.

April 21, 2009 5:36 pm - Associated Press
Doug Ferguson looks at golf clubs that have had big major championship winners.

April 20, 2009 4:36 pm - Sports Business Journal
Jon Show on how popular "Twittering" was from the Masters.

April 20, 2009 4:05 pm - GolfObserver blognews - buzz Blog
Sal Johnson and Dave Seanor debate the decision of Rory McIlroy not taking PGA Tour membership, looking back at Cabrera's victory and Brian Gay winning Verizon, is the LPGA doing the right thing with their scheduling and breaking down what the OneAsian To

April 20, 2009 9:11 am - Golf Week
Golfweek's Monday Scramble wonders why so much is being made of Tiger Woods' bad mood after the final round of the Masters.

April 19, 2009 3:56 am - Ventura County Star, California
Bob Buttitta feels that some members of the media has been unfair to Tiger Woods for his actions after the Masters.

April 19, 2009 12:32 am - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania - Golf
Gerry Dulac on how Argentina wasn't the only constituency thrilled by Cabrera's Masters victory last week as Oakmont officials were also happy.

April 18, 2009 11:44 pm - Irish Independent - Golf
Dermott Gilleece has this piece in which Padraig Harrington hopes that Kenny Perry can win a major in the future and looks at how his missed putt to lose the Masters could help him down the road.

April 18, 2009 11:44 pm - Irish Independent - Golf
Dermot Gilleece looks at the reaction to Angel Cabrera's Master win in Argentina and has some words with Roberto DeVicenzo over the victory and some other matters of DeVicenzo's past.

April 18, 2009 7:03 pm - Scotland on Sunday
John Huggan on how much there is between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

April 18, 2009 6:42 pm - Telegraph.co.uk - Sport
Mark Reason on how Tiger Woods may just have had the worst week of his professional career and his coach Hank Haney could be in the firing line over erratic driving.

April 18, 2009 3:45 pm - The Times - Sport - Golf
David Walsh with more into the life Kenny Perry lives in Franklin, Kentucky.

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