Two years ago, two-time major champion Angel Cabrera was in the midst of serving a 30-month prison sentence in South America stemming from charges of domestic violence against two ex-girlfriends.
On Monday, Cabrera won another major championship — this one on the senior circuit — with a one-shot victory over Jerry Kelly at the 2025 Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Ala.
A weather delay prevented the tournament from finishing on Sunday evening, so six players returned Monday morning to complete the final round.
Cabrera birdied two of his remaining three holes to post the lowest final round in the field: eight-under 64. The victory marks Cabrera’s second win in four starts this season on the PGA Tour Champions.
“To win a major is incredible, so I’m very proud,” Cabrera said. “It brings a lot of thoughts into my mind. It was very hard, the stuff I went through, so there’s a lot going on in my mind right now. It’s hard to process.”
The 55-year-old was released from prison on parole in August 2023 and returned to professional competition in his native country of Argentina in December of that year, making the cut in the Abierto del Litoral (the Coast Open) and ultimately finishing 10th.
After obtaining a visa for travel to the United States, Cabrera resumed his career on the PGA Tour Champions in 2024, teeing it up in 12 events and posting two top-10 finishes.
In April, Cabrera won for the first time on the PGA Tour Champions at the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational. He then returned to the Masters for the first time since 2019, missing the cut with rounds of 75-80.
This week, the PGA Tour Champions will play its second major of the year, the Senior PGA Championship at Congressional CC in Bethesda, Md. The winner will earn an exemption into next year’s PGA Championship, which will be played at Aronimink CC outside of Philadelphia.
