Angel Cabrera, former Masters champion, arrested in Brazil
Argentine golfer Angel Cabrera, a two-time major winner, was arrested in Brazil on Thursday in connection with assault charges leveled against him in his homeland, police and diplomats said.
A federal police statement about the arrest on suspicion of crimes committed in Argentina between 2016 and 2020 did not name Cabrera, but Argentine diplomats confirmed it was the golfer.
Consul Claudio Gutiérrez said Cabrera was taken to prison in a Rio suburb pending extradition proceedings.
The police statement a 51-year-old Argentine who was on the Interpol red list was detained at an apartment in Rio's Leblon district.
It was not immediately possible to contact Cabrera, 51, or any of his representatives.
Known as El Pato - the Duck, due to his flat-footedness - Cabrera won three times on the PGA Tour, two of them majors.
He became the first Argentine to win a major championship since Roberto De Vicenzo by claiming the 2007 U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont, when he held off Jim Furyk and a resurgent Tiger Woods. His second major followed at the 2009 Masters when Cabrera beat America pair Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry and a play-off. Cabrera came close to a second Green Jacket in 2013, losing to Adam Scott in a play-off.
His taste for the big occasion was replicated in Europe where one of his three wins was the European Tour's flagship event, the 2005 BMW Championship at Wentworth. Cabrera was known for his long-hitting and prodigious distance but also his fiery temperament.
He was raised in Villa Allende, a barrio of Cordoba, by his grandmother, having been abandoned by his parents. Cabrera's life in golf began by working as a caddie at a nearby club for 25 pesos a day.
Cabrera is currently a member of the PGA Champions tour, with his last tournament appearance coming at the PURE Insurance Championship in September 2020. The PGA tour lists his total career earnings as £10,865,655.
