Jailed Masters champion pulls out of PGA Tour Champions playoff event
Jailed Masters champion pulls out of PGA Tour Champions playoff event
Kylee HansenWed, October 28, 2026 at 8:13 PM UTC
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Cabrera has pulled out of the first PGA Tour Champions playoff event -Credit:Getty Images (Getty Images)
Angel Cabrera withdrew from the PGA Tour Champions playoff opener after the 57-year-old claimed personal reasons for his absence.
Cabrera spent 30 months in prison after being found guilty of domestic violence and threatening behavior against two ex-girlfriends. The two-time major champion, the winner of the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont and the 2009 Masters, apologized to his former partners in court.
Throughout the 2026 season on the senior tour, Cabrera performed competitively and secured multiple strong finishes, but the 57-year-old’s son and caddie posted to social media that he will not be in attendance at the Simmons Bank Championship.
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“Due to personal reasons, we will not be participating in the next tournament,” Cabrera’s son wrote on Instagram. "Thank you very much to everyone who always supports us. See you soon on the course."
By finishing 39th in the order of merit, he qualified for the Simmons Bank Championship in Arkansas, which serves as the opening leg of the PGA Tour Champions' playoffs.
At Pleasant Valley Country Club, qualification for the $2.3 million event was restricted to the top 54 players, with only the top 36 progressing to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship two weeks later.
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Cabrera won the 2009 Masters tournament -Credit:Getty Images
Although Cabrera has been one of the most consistent performers on the PGA Tour Champions, his controversial past continues to overshadow his career.
Reflecting on his past convictions, Cabrera previously acknowledged that he understood why some fans and observers believed he shouldn't be allowed to compete at major events like the Masters.
"I won the Masters, why not?" Cabrera said through an interpreter in 2025 after playing a practice round at Augusta National Golf Club.
When asked how he would respond to critics who believe he should be excluded from competing in the Masters, Cabrera remarked, "I respect their opinion, and everybody has their own opinion."
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During a trial in November 2022 concerning allegations of harassment and threats directed at another former girlfriend, Micaela Escudero, Cabrera entered a guilty plea. The court consolidated his sentences to run concurrently, resulting in a total term of three years and ten months in prison.
He was released on parole in August 2023.
"There was a stage in my life of four, five years, that they weren't the right things I should have done," Cabrera said. "Before that I was OK, so I just have to keep doing what I know I can do right."
Source: “AOL Sports”
