Angel Leopoldo Cabrera, born on September 12, 1969, is the 2007 US Open champion from Argentina. The Argentine golfer, known affectionately to fans as ‘El Pato’ or the Duck, started to play golf at age 10, after friends who were caddying at the Cordoba Golf Club suggested that he go with them. After that trip Cabrera was hooked. The Argentine golfer turned professional ten years later, at age 20.
In 1996, with the help of argentine professional golfer Eduardo Romero, Cabrera made it to the European tour, holding on to his card for three consecutive seasons. He reached the tenth place in the Order of Merit in 1999 and won his first title in 2001 at the Argentina Open. A year later he won the Benson and Hedges Open and in 2005, won the BMW PGA Championship held at the Wentworth Club in England, one of the most prestigious European tour events aside from the majors and World Golf championships. Despite winning these titles, as well as other titles from non-European tour events in Latin America like the Hato Grande Open in 1995 and the Brazil Open in 1999, his BMW win was only his third win in the European tour.
He placed 9th at the Official World Golf Rankings in 2005 and is the only Argentine player to make it into the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings. In the same year, Cabrera was invited to play in the President’s Cup in the US and after an outstanding performance finished 5th in the Order of Merit. He also played at the 2007 President’s Cup in Canada.
His first win at a major championship was at the 2007 US Open held in Oakmont. This victory made him the first Argentine golfer to win the US Open and the second Argentine to win a major championship. Cabrera was awarded the Olimpia de Oro or the Golden Olympia by Argentina in the same year.
In 2009, Cabrera made waves as he won the Masters Tournament during the said year. This made him the very first Argentine to win the Masters. He was also the first golfer who was ranked the lowest but managed to win the said event. As of 2009, it has been noted that Cabrera and Woods are the only active players on the PGA Tour who have won the Masters and the U.S. Open.
