ANGEL CABRERA has been reinstated by the PGA and could be back on the Tour next year after his release from jail.
The 54-year-old has just served two-and-a-half years behind bars for domestic violence alongside rapists and murderers.
GettyAngel Cabrera has been reinstated by the PGA Tour[/caption]
The Argentine two-times major champion was released on parole in August and said he was to repair his image after making “serious mistakes”.
Now Cabrera has been notified by the PGA Tour that he is no longer suspended.
The 2007 US Open and 2009 Masters champion was initially handed a two-year sentence in July 2021 for assaulting, threatening and harassing his former partner Cecilia Torres Mana.
Then, in November 2022, Cabrera was convicted of an assault against another ex-girlfriend, Micaela Escudero, that led to his prison term being extended.
The chain-smoking golf legend, who was nicknamed “El Pato” or “The Duck” for his waddling gait when walking around the course, was locked away in an Argentine jail known as “The Prison of Hell”.
Now after becoming a free man, he has also announced that he is undergoing treatment for alcohol addiction.
The Times are now reporting that he has “been cleared to return to PGA Tour sanctioned events”, although “the details of his suspension have not been disclosed by the tour”.
Cabrera played last week and finished tenth at the Abierto del Litoral in Rosario in a fixture on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica Developmental Series.
And Golf Digest has claimed that they obtained a letter from the PGA Tour notifying Cabrera that his suspension was lifted on Monday.
Although they also said that it stated “failure to comply with the terms of your release from prison or any additional information regarding your legal situation in Argentina may result in the immediate reinstatement of your suspension”.
During an interview with Golf Digest, the veteran said: “I made serious mistakes. I refused to listen to anyone and did what I wanted, how I wanted and when I wanted. That was wrong.
“I ask Micaela for forgiveness. I ask Celia for forgiveness. They had the bad luck of being with me when I was at my worst. I wasn’t the devil but I did bad things.
“I am deeply embarrassed because I disappointed the people closest to me — and everyone who loves me through golf.
“Golf gave me everything, and I know I will never be able to repay the debt I owe this sport.”
This fresh update states that Augusta National have yet to comment on whether Cabrera would be invited to the Masters, in which previous winners have a lifetime exemption.”
He added: “I’ve made serious mistakes but I’ve also paid my debts. I’m going to work as hard as I can to clean up my image. I want to recover the stature I had as an athlete.
“Golf is everything to me. It’s my life. I have to continue.”