Masters Announces Decision on If It Would Welcome Angel Cabrera

The Masters has a tradition of letting anyone who has won the tournament in the past the opportunity to play, no matter their age, playing status, or any other variable.

It appears whether the former Champion has done a stint in prison will not matter either, as The Masters announced that it will welcome 2009 winner Angel Cabrera, who served 30 months in prison for assaulting former girlfriends as well as theft and illegal intimidation charges, as long as he can obtain a visa.

Cabrera is eligible to play in PGA Tour-sanctioned events, permission he received in December. 

His attendance at the Masters, which would be his first in four years, is still up in the air. However, Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley said that they have “been in constant contact” with Cabrera’s team:

“He doesn’t have a visa, and I know that that process is being worked through. We certainly wish him the best of luck with that, and we’ll definitely welcome him back if he’s able to straighten out those legal issues.”

Cabrera won the 2009 Masters and finished second in 2013 after losing a playoff to Adam Scott in what was one of the most memorable tournaments in recent memory.

He is currently scheduled to play in a PGA Tour Champions event in Morocco in February. He is also set to play in a Korn Ferry Tour event in Argentina, but he does not need a visa to play in either of these tournaments.