http://www.boston.com/sports/golf/articles/2009/04/13/green_party/
Angel Cabrera, a 39-year-old whose only two professional victories in North America are now major championships, overcame a two-shot deficit with two holes to play yesterday, displaying the patience, perseverance, and clutch putting required of any winner at Augusta National Golf Club. He squeezed into a three-man playoff with a gutsy par on No. 18, smacked a tree with his second shot when they returned to 18 but survived the first playoff hole, then won the Masters with a routine par on No. 10, the second playoff hole: fairway, green, two putts.
The playoff win came against Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell after the threesome finished 72 holes at 12-under-par. It left Perry, who seemingly had the tournament in hand, out of luck in his bid to become golf's oldest major champion, and put Cabrera into an unlikely green jacket.
"This is the Masters. A lot of magical things happen," Cabrera said. "I was happy with my game and I had confidence. I was just trying to enjoy the moment."
For Argentines, the moment also takes the sting off Roberto DeVicenzo's cruel Masters fate in 1968, when he seemed poised to join Bob Goalby in a playoff but signed an incorrect scorecard to give Goalby a one-shot win. The mistake - DeVicenzo signed a card that had his score on the 17th hole as a par, when he made birdie - has a place in Masters lore, for unfortunate reasons. Cabrera replaces that stain with unbridled joy.
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