The Argentinian carded the lowest final round – an eight-under 64 – of anyone in the field to roar back from three shots behind American, Jerry Kelly after 54 holes and snatch victory on 20-under down the closing stretch.
The first of back-to-back senior Majors was badly affected by inclement weather at the weekend and play was stopped for much of Sunday, causing the leaders to come back on Monday and complete their final four holes.
At that stage, Cabrera and Kelly were tied at the top thanks to seven birdies from the Argentinian over the first 13 holes. When play restarted, despite admitting to strong nerves, the 2009 Masters and 2007 US Open champion ultimately took charge.
Although he bogeyed the par-5 15th in his final hole on Sunday, Cabrera put that behind him and finished in perfect fashion, making birdie at 16 and 18 to pull away by two strokes and require Kelly to make eagle at the last in order to force a playoff.
The American, who birdied 16 but bogeyed 17, could only manage a three at the par-4 finale, and Cabrera celebrated his second victory in four starts, following on from his maiden PGA Tour Champions success at the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational last month.
Reacting to his latest and biggest senior victory, Cabrera said: \”To win a major is incredible, so I\’m very proud. I played very well all week. I had to trust myself and keep going and it paid off.
At the time, he said: \”I am repentant and embarrassed. 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 Cecilia 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.\”
Since then, Cabrera has continued to work hard on the golf course and has now reaped the rewards.
Asked what his Regions Tradition win meant, given the way his life has turned out over the past few years, the 55-year-old said: \”It brings a lot of thoughts into my mind. It was very hard, the stuff I went through, so there\’s a lot going on in my mind right now. It\’s hard to process. Hard work always helps, yes.\”
The PGA Tour Champions season continues next week with the Senior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club.
Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Joaquin Niemann. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and recently reached his Handicap goal of 18 for the first time. He attended both the 150th and 151st Open Championships and dreams of attending The Masters one day.
