Ángel Cabrera,
winner of two Majors and a reference in Argentine golf, will compete in the 117th
Open of the Republic,
a competition that will take place from this Thursday, February 29 to Sunday, March 3 and that in this edition will debut on the calendar of the
Korn Ferry Tour,
the tour that precedes the
PGA Tour
and is the direct path to access the elite of world golf.
It will be held for the 12th time at the
Olivos Golf Club,
a historic course that will mark Cabrera's return to this prestigious championship organized by the
Argentine Golf Association
(AAG) after being imprisoned for two years and eight months for cases of gender violence against three ex couples
He had received conditional release, after psychological tests that demonstrated an evolution in relation to the perception of issues related to gender violence, and in December of last year he officially competed again in the Abierto del Litoral, in Rosario.
He will now do so in
the most important national golf tournament,
for which the Americans Brian Campbell and Ricky Castillo and the Chilean Cristóbal Del Solar appear as favorites.
Ángel Cabrera during one of the trials for gender violence against his ex-partners.
Photo: AP/Nicolás Aguilera.
The
VISA Open 2024
will have the participation of 156 players and several Argentines.
Among them will be Jorge Fernández Valdés, Augusto Núñez, Nelson Ledesma, Estanislao Goya, Julián Etulain and Fabián Gómez.
In any case, the highlight will be the return of Cabrera, champion of the 2007 US Open, the 2009 Augusta Masters and triple winner of the VISA Open, in 2001, 2002 and 2012. Without a doubt, a very important figure in national sport, despite the fact that the publicly known facts that came to light in recent years greatly damaged its image.
Based on the close link between the AAG and
The R&A,
an entity created in 2004 that governs golf worldwide with the exception of the United States and Mexico, the Open of the Republic will continue with the tradition of rewarding the winner with an exemption to the Open British, which will take place at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland.
“It is a great agreement that is still in force and we want it to continue for much longer.
It is a recognition for the great history that this championship has, for the alliance there is with the PGA Tour, with the AAG and what this tournament means at the regional level,”
highlighted
Mark Lawrie,
director of the R&A for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Mark Lawrie visited the Clarín newsroom for an interview in 2019.Photo: Rafael Mario Quinteros.
“For us it is very important to generate opportunities for our players.
The PGA Tour Latin America experience was very productive and
this is a very significant step for the growth of our tournament and for golfers in the region,”
summarized
Miguel Leeson,
Executive Director of the AAG.
It is also the
seventh oldest golf championship in the world
and one of the most important in South America, which will distribute one million dollars in prizes as part of the official calendar of the Korn Ferry Tour, a link that will extend, at least, until the 2029 season.