Cabrera given hero's welcome in Argentina

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Apr. 15, 2009

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Masters winner Angel Cabrera showed off the newest addition to his wardrobe for the admiring hometown crowd that welcomed him back to Argentina.

Angel Cabrera won the Masters in a playoff with Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell.
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Angel Cabrera won the Masters in a playoff with Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell.

"Green suits me," Cabrera said on Tuesday, smiling and sporting the Masters jacket he earned as the first champion from South America.

Two days after winning the Masters on the second hole of a three-way playoff in Augusta, Ga., the man nicknamed El Pato (The Duck) arrived in his hometown of Villa Allende in the province of Cordoba in north-central Argentina to a rousing welcome.

Cabrera also won the 2007 U.S. Open, joining South Africa's Gary Player as the only non-American players to win both. Cabrera vowed there was more to come.

"With sacrifice and work, anything can be done," the 39-year-old Cabrera said.

"Now I'm going for the third major, and I'm not going to stop until I win at least five."

Thirty years ago, he was introduced to golf as a caddie at the exclusive Cordoba Golf Club in Villa Allende. From a humble background, Cabrera was raised by his grandmother and started playing at 15 with borrowed clubs.

Club member Eduardo Romero financially supported Cabrera, allowing him to compete in tournaments in Argentina and abroad, and at 20 he turned pro.

Both majors are his only wins on the PGA TOUR, and he has three other wins on the European Tour.

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