Cabrera comes up big again, just shy of jacket

Cabrera comes up big again, just shy of jacket











PGA.COM April 14, 2013 11:05 PM

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Angel Cabrera "is a great man," said Masters winner Adam Scott after the two men embraced.(Getty Im …


By Paul Newberry, Associated Press


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Angel Cabrera usually comes up big in these situations.

He did again.

It just wasn't enough to win his second green jacket.

Cabrera forced a playoff with a brilliant 7-iron to 3 feet on the 72nd hole of the Masters, but he lost to Adam Scott on the second hole of a playoff when the Australian rolled in a 12-foot putt.

Cabrera just missed a chip-in from off the front of the green at the first extra hole -- letting out an "Ohhhhh!" as it slid by the edge -- and his 15-footer on the second playoff hole stopped right next to the cup. He flipped his putter in the air and caught it, then tapped in for par.

At that point, all he could do was watch as Scott made his birdie to become the first Aussie to win the Masters.

The 43-year-old Cabrera missed a chance at becoming the second-oldest Masters winner, behind only Jack Nicklaus in 1986.

Still, it was a remarkable accomplishment for a golfer who came in ranked No. 269 in the world, and never seems to play winning golf unless he's in the biggest tournaments of all.

"I like the challenges," Cabrera said through an interpreter. "These tournaments are very, very important for me. So sometimes they bring my best out of me."

Indeed, they do.

Before this Masters, his last win on the PGA or Europeans tours came at the 2009 Masters, where he defeated Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry in a playoff. And before that was The 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont, where Cabrera outdueled Jim Furyk down the stretch.

The big guy almost did it again -- with his son on the bag, no less -- which would have put him a pretty exclusive club as a three-time major champion.

"The only thing in my head," Cabrera said, "was winning."

Playing in the final group with Brandt Snedeker, Cabrera was by far the most solid player among the leaders as a steadily increasing rain didn't bother a player nicknamed "El Pato" -- The Duck. He cruised through the front side with two birdies and seven pars, making the turn with a two-stroke lead.

But an errant drive into the pine trees at No. 10 was the first big miscue, leading to a bogey. The shot he would really like to have back came at the par-5 13th, where he drove into the pine straw on top of the hill but still decided to go for the green, 203 yards away.

Cabrera chunked it a bit and watched his ball settle in Rae's Creek. He wound up with another bogey and surrendered the lead to Jason Day.

In hindsight, Cabrera still thinks it was a good decision.

"I had a very good angle, and I had a very good lie," he said. "And I was thinking about making a birdie. I told my son that, you know, we could do an eagle, also."

Another wild shot at the par-5 15th, a hole that gave up birdies to nearly all the contenders, left Cabrera to settle for par. At that point, it looked like he was done, facing a two-shot deficit as he headed to No. 16.

But this duck wasn't going to away that easy.

Cabrera hit a brilliant tee shot over the water at the par-3 hole and sank a 15-footer for birdie to close the gap. Turns out, it was Day who faded away, making bogeys at 16 and 17. But that other Aussie took control, and Cabrera could only watch from the middle of the 18th fairway as Scott celebrated up on the green, having claimed the lead with a 20-footer for birdie.

While Scott went off to sign his scorecard, Cabrera knew what he had to do -- hit an even better shot.

Boy, did he ever.

From 163 yards away, Cabrera sent his ball soaring toward the green. It rolled to a stop 3 feet from the cup. When Cabrera made the gimme of a putt, he hugged Angel Jr. and headed to the playoff.

Cabrera nearly won it on the first extra hole, a repeat of No. 18. Chipping over Scott's ball, which also had rolled off the front of the green, Cabrera flipped a shot that landed right where he wanted and looked like it was going in. He settled for par, as did Scott, and the two headed off to No. 10.

In the fading light, especially around the green shaded by towering pine trees, Cabrera putted first and just missed. Scott did not. Game over.

"That's golf," Cabrera said. "Golf gives and takes. Sometimes you make those putts, sometimes you just miss them. "

As Scott celebrated, Cabrera walked up with his right hand outstretched. Despite the language barrier, the two have become good friends, from their time as teammates in the Presidents Cup to frequent encounters out on the various world tours. They walked off the green arm in arm, both patting each other on the back. As Cabrera started to pull away, Scott yanked him close and said a few words.

No interpreter was needed.

"Angel is a great man," Scott said. "He's a gentleman."

The winner was especially touched by Cabrera's gesture in the middle of the 10th fairway, before they headed down toward the final green of a long day. After watching Scott's ball roll to a stop, Cabrera gave him a thumbs-up.

"For him to do that at that point," Scott said, "was very nice."

Cabrera didn't look at this as an opportunity missed. Chances are, you won't hear much out of him, at least in the United States, for the next few months.

But when the U.S. Open rolls around in June, he might just be one of the guys in the mix.

That's a pretty big tournament, after all.

"I have a lot of confidence in myself," Cabrera said. "I'm going to keep on going."

Notebook: Day and Leishman join in great day

Notebook: Day and Leishman join in great day











PGA.COM April 14, 2013 11:42 PM

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Jason Day called his Masters result "unfortunate," but said he was "very happy" for Adam Scott.(Getty …


By Nancy Armour, Associated Press


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It was a g'day for all the Australians.

Not only did Adam Scott win the Masters on Sunday, ending the country's agonizing drought at Augusta National, Jason Day and Marc Leishman gave Australia three golfers in the top four.

Day finished third, while Leishman and Tiger Woods tied for fourth.

"I'm a proud Australian," Scott said, "and I hope this sits really well back at home."

Greg Norman's misfortunes at Augusta National -- 1996, anyone? -- elevated the Masters to almost mythic proportions for Australian golfers, and every one of them knew they were playing not only for themselves but the whole country any time they got in contention.

Day seemed to have the best shot, taking a two-stroke lead with three holes to go. But he made bogeys on the next two holes to fall a stroke behind, then ran a birdie putt that would have put him back in the lead a foot past the hole on 18. As the ball rolled past the cup, Day crouched down and put a hand to his face.

It's the second time he's faltered down the stretch at the Masters. He finished second in 2011.

"I think pressure got to me a little bit," said Day, who finished two strokes behind Scott and Angel Cabrera.

"It's unfortunate. But I'm very happy with how things are going right now with Adam," Day said as Scott was heading to his playoff with Cabrera. "I'm hoping he can be the first player, if it wasn't me."

Leishman was never really a threat to win. But few even expected him to be on the leaderboard.

He's ranked 108th in the world, and his only PGA Tour win was last year at Travelers. He'd missed the cut in four of his previous seven tournaments.

Oh, this was only his second appearance at the Masters, too. In his first, a year ago, he missed the cut.

"Obviously it didn't work out the way I wanted it to today, but I also had a great tournament," said Leishman, who finished four strokes behind Scott after shooting his second straight 72. "It's something to build on for the rest of the year, for sure."

And now that the winless streak is over, maybe there will be more green jackets in Australia's future.

"It's a little disappointing, but there's a lot of experience that I can take into next year," Day said. "Hopefully I can wear one of those green jackets soon."

SEE YOU AGAIN: For a player who'd never been to Augusta National before, John Huh figured the place out pretty quickly.

Not only did Huh get an automatic invite to next year's Masters by finishing 11th, he also took home a nice piece of crystal after an eagle on the par-5 15th.

"That's what I'm really looking forward to receiving," Huh said.

Asked how he knew about the prize, the Masters rookie said someone told him about it during a practice round.

"They told me, `Every time you eagle you get crystal.' So that's what I was looking forward to," Huh said.

Huh was hovering on the edge of the cut line after carding 70-77 the first two days. But he made it by one stroke, then climbed up the leaderboard with a 71 on Saturday. He followed that with a 4-under 68 on Sunday, the second-best score of the day.

That gave him a share of 11th with Tim Clark.

The top 12 players are guaranteed entry into next year's tournament. Fellow Masters rookie Thorbjorn Olesen also booked a return ticket with his share of for sixth.

"That was my goal, actually, before I teed up today, trying to come back here next year if I could," Huh said. "I'm really pleased with the way I played today and look forward to playing next year."

BUBBA GOLF: For somebody who made a 10 on a par-3 hole, Bubba Watson was in a great mood.

"No matter what, when I end my career I'll be able to say I was the Masters champion one time," the 2012 winner said. "Unless I make them mad, I'm coming back for the rest of my life. I'll be here and I'll have a green jacket sitting in the locker room. You can't get mad at the situation."

Watson doesn't take himself, or his game, too seriously, and having a green jacket hasn't changed that.

He got off to such a slow start this week he was paired with a marker in the first pairing Saturday. After making up some ground in that round, he picked up two more strokes on the front nine Sunday.

He had no trouble on the 10th hole, where he famously hit a wedge out of the trees to beat Louis Oosthuizen in a playoff.

Then he got to No. 12.

Watson hit his tee shot in the water, then hit another one in the water from the drop area. His fifth went into a back bunker, but his shot from there rolled past the pin into the water.

He made a 12-footer for his 10.

"If you play golf long enough you're going to make a hole in one. I've had three, and I had one this week," said Watson, who aced the 16th during a practice round Wednesday. "And you're going to go the other way as well. You're going to have bad scores. Today was just my day to have a bad score.

"I couldn't get the club to do what I wanted it to, so I made a quick 10."

But it didn't spoil the day. Watson was paired with Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, and the two spent a lot of their round comparing notes and reminiscing about winning at Augusta National.

ROUGH WEEK: Playing poorly is always a disappointment for Phil Mickelson.

Doing it at the Masters only makes it worse.

He was tied for 54th on Sunday, his worst finish in the 20 times he's made the cut at the Masters. The only time he's scored worse than his 9-over-297 was in 2007 (299), when conditions were brutal.

"I just had an off year, I don't know what to tell you," the three-time Masters champion said. "This was disappointing for me in that this is my favorite place in the world to play. This is my favorite place to be, my favorite tournament and the one I look forward to the day after it ends. And to perform like this is disappointing."

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: Sandy Lyle celebrated the 25th anniversary of his Masters win in style.

The 1988 champion shot a 1-under 71 on Sunday, only the fourth time in the past 14 years he's broken par at Augusta National. He finished at 9-over 297 for the tournament.

"I think that I would have been very happy to make the cut at the start of the week," Lyle said. "But when I played (last) Sunday, I went round with six birdies and three bogeys so I was 3-under. So that sort of gave me a little bit of hope."

Lyle stuck a 7-iron from a fairway to within 10 feet in 1987, then made the downhill putt to beat Mark Calcavecchia.

Inside The Ropes: Swedish Redneck returns to North Carolina

Inside The Ropes: Swedish Redneck returns to North Carolina










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange April 15, 2013 2:20 AMThe SportsXchange


When Carl Pettersson captured the RBC Heritage last year, a title he defends this week, it was a popular victory in Sweden and the Carolinas.


After all, this is the guy that Jesper Parnevik nicknamed the "Swedish Redneck," and with his fifth PGA Tour victory Pettersson equaled Parnevik for the most by a Swedish-born player.

Even if he has lived most of his life in North Carolina.

"I haven't lived (in Sweden) since 1987," said Pettersson, who came to the United States as a teenager because his father was an executive for Volvo and was transferred. "Yea, I know I'm Swedish. I've spent the majority of my life (in the U.S). I lived in ... Sweden 10 years, my first 10 years, and then England for five years, and then in America ever since.

"I honestly feel more American than Swedish. I became an American citizen (in 2012); I've got dual citizenship. Sweden is a golf-crazed country. I know I'm from Sweden, but I've lived here so long I'm very American."

The Pettersson family relocated to North Carolina, where Carl spent his last two years of high school at Grimsley High in Greensboro, and after attending junior college in Alabama, he received a golf scholarship at North Carolina State.

That's where he met his wife, DeAnna, and they live in Raleigh with their two children.

"Carl and I met while out with mutual friends one night just before graduation from N.C. State," DeAnna wrote in a book released by the PGA Tour Wives Association. "When we first met, I thought Carl had already graduated, but he was actually going through q-school in Europe.

"I asked, 'So, what do you do?' He replied, 'I play golf,' and I said, 'Yes, but what do you do for money?' Oops. It took me a few dates to live that down. I had just never known anyone who was actually a professional athlete. Everyone I knew played their sport in college then went on to get regular 9-to-5 jobs and play on recreational leagues."

The 35-year-old Pettersson has made it in the highest league for his sport.

After playing on the European Tour in 2001 and 2002, claiming his first professional victory in the 2002 Algarve Open de Portugal, he earned his PGA Tour card by finishing in a tie for 21st at Qualifying school in 2002.

Pettersson has been on the circuit ever since.

In his second tournament in his first full season in 2003, he finished second in the Buick Invitational, now the Farmers Insurance Open, four strokes behind Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines.

Two years later, he broke through for his first victory on the PGA Tour, holding off Chad Campbell to win the Chrysler Championship, now the Tampa Bay Championship, by one shot on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook.

That made him the third Swede to win on the PGA Tour, joining Parnevik and Gabriel Hjertstedt. They have since been joined by Henrik Stenson, Freddie Jacobson, Richard S. Johnson, Daniel Chopra and Jonas Blixt.

"Every win is real special," Pettersson said after winning by five strokes over Zach Johnson at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island last year. "It's getting harder and harder to win out here with the players. I feel like in the last two or three years it's really become really competitive.

"It was competitive before, don't get me wrong, but it seems like there's a lot more younger guys playing really good, hitting it a mile, and all of a sudden I'll be 35 this year, I'm one of the old guys, trying to get around the golf course.

"But five wins is great. I'm hoping to add to that. I know it's going to take a lot of effort and hard work and dedication, but I hope I can add to it."

Pettersson might have to do it without his trusty long putter, which he anchors to his chest, if the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and the United States Golf Association go through with their proposed ban of anchored putters.

To him, the powers that be in golf are over-reacting after Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and Ernie Elsbecame the first players to claim major titles using anchored putters in a span of five Grand Slam tournaments.

"It feels a bit like a witch hunt to me," said the normally laid-back Pettersson, who began using the long putter 16 years ago after his sophomore year at N.C. State. "It was a pure reaction to Keegan and Ernie and Webb. They keep harping on the younger generation using them, but I think they're going to ban it because it looks bad. But you have strong arguments from other players, too.

"There's no argument that it's a better way to putt because then everybody would be using it. If it was easy, everybody on the PGA Tour would be using it. So I don't know where they got that from. It's just a different way of putting.

" ... It seems silly to ban something that's been around for 40 years."

That's the redneck coming out in the normally-placid Swede.



COMING UP

PGA TOUR: RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C., Thursday through Sunday.

TV: Thursday and Friday, 3-6 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel; Saturday and Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel and 3-6 p.m. EDT on CBS.

LAST YEAR: Carl Pettersson of Sweden took the lead with five consecutive birdies on the front nine in the third round and went on to a five-stroke victory over Zach Johnson. Pettersson claimed the fifth victory of his PGA Tour career, and the first since the 2010 RBC Canadian Open, to equal Jesper Parnevik for the most titles on the U.S. circuit by a Swedish-born player. Petterson, who moved to North Carolina with his family as a teenager and attended North Carolina State, took a one-stroke lead into the final round, but quickly increased it to four with birdies on three of the first five holes. He never was challenged while finish with 12 pars and his only bogey at No. 15 in closing with a 3-under-par 69 after playing the middle rounds in 65-66, following an opening-round 70.



CHAMPIONS TOUR: Greater Gwinnett Championship at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga., Friday through Sunday.

TV: Friday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. EDT; Saturday and Sunday, 3-6 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.

LAST YEAR: Inaugural event.



LPGA TOUR: LPGA Lotte Championship at Ko Olina Golf Club in Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii, Wednesday through Saturday.

TV: Wednesday, 6:30-11 p.m. EDT, and Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 6:30-9:30 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel each day.

LAST YEAR: Ai Miyazato of Japan captured the inaugural event last year by shooting 7-under-par 65 in the second round on her way to a four-stroke victory over Azahara Munoz of Spain and Meena Lee of South Korea. The 27-year-old Miyazato claimed her eighth title on the LPGA Tour after winning 15 times on the Japan Ladies PGA Tour and added the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship later in the year, giving her 25 career victories. Miyazato took a three-stroke lead into the final round, but Lee caught her with a birdie on the 15th hole. Playing in the final group, Miyazato regained the lead with a 20-foot birdie putt from the fringe at No. 15, saved par from 15 feet on No. 16 and rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 17 while closing with a one-under-par 70. Lee hit her approach shot on the final hole into a greenside bunker, three-putted from 30 feet for a double-bogey 6 and also shot 70.