Angel Cabrera - Background

Background

Cabrera was born in Córdoba, Argentina. His father, Miguel, was a handyman and his mother worked as a maid. Ángel was three or four when his parents split up. He was left in the care of his paternal grandmother. He stayed with her until he was 16, when he moved in a few feet away, to the house of Silvia, twelve years his senior, and a mother of four boys. They had a son, Federico, followed by another, Ángel. Ángel and Silvia have never been formally married, they are officially separated.

When Cabrera was 10 he became a caddy at the Córdoba Country Club, which he says almost became his home. He learned golf playing against other caddies for money. His fierce determination and powerful swing soon caught the eye of members, one of whom, Juan Cruz Molina, a local real estate magnate, bought him his first set of clubs when he was 16.

With his stocky figure and habit of smoking at every hole, Cabrera cut a distinctive figure on the course although he has now given up smoking and chews gum instead. He is also acknowledged as having one of the biggest swings in the game. His son Federico became a professional golfer in 2008. Federico entered the PGA Tour's qualifying school in 2011 but was eliminated in the second stage. His other son, Ángel, became a professional in 2012 and joined the Canadian Tour.