Angel Delight

During a tense final day of the US Open at Oakmont on Saturday Angel Cabrera held off the challenges of Jim Furyk and then Tiger Woods to become only the second Argentine to win one of golf’s majors.

He has long threatened to do well at one of the big four and Sunday’s victory was achieved on one of the most testing courses that have ever been played as the 5 over par victory score testifies too.
Going into the final day the Australian Aaron Badderly was leading by two shots on 2 over par but a disastrous triple bogey at his first hole put paid to any hopes he may have had and he was not alone in his suffering. Paul Casey suffered the same fate on the 6th as did Stephen Ames at the 7th while Justin Rose had a string of bogeys on the back 9 to fall out of contention. In the end it was left to the two Americans, number one and three in the world rankings, to challenge Cabrera.
It looked as if Furyk had the momentum during the final stages when he birdied the 13th, 14th and 15th but a bogey on 17 proved crucial in the end as he finished one shot behind. Woods, meanwhile, had dragged himself back into contention from a poor start and had every chance during the final stages but could not manage the birdie he needed to tie the Argentine’s score.
It is still amazing that the Woods has never won a major unless he has been leading at the end of the third round.
Why this might be the case is difficult to assess, especially when you consider he has completed this feat on 16 occasions on the PGA Tour, but the longer it goes on the more the issue will surely play on his mind.
None of this, of course, mattered to Cabrera who ended up being the only player to score 2 rounds under par over the four days.
Born in 1969 in Villa Allen he worked for many years as a caddie for Eduardo Romero who became his mentor and has been a regular on the European Tour since his early 20s.
When he won the BMW Championship in 2005 this was only his third win which is surprising considering his talent. The languid South American, affectionately nicknamed “El Pato”, The Duck, for the way he walks, has been consistent without being spectacular for some years now. It remains to be seen whether this victory will propel him to being a challenger at all the big events.
As with tennis it is the number of Majors or Grand Slams that a player wins that is the main indicator of how good they are deemed to be.
If they fail to win one of these tournaments then it is seen as a character flaw which has prevented a talent being fulfilled. This applies to two of Britain’s favourite sons, Tim Henman and Colin Montgomerie.
Henman’s  failure to win a Grand Slam and, in particular, Wimbledon, will forever haunt the Englishman and he will be consigned to history as a good player who failed to rise to the biggest occasions.
This assessment is slightly harsh considering he has been the best British player for decades and he also had to endure the grass court season with one of the greatest-ever players to grace the surface, namely Pete Sampras.
Without him Henman may well have completed his dream.
Montgomerie, meanwhile, has more reason to complain since he has won nine European Tour Merits, countless tournaments, finished agonisingly close in at least four majors and dragged Europe to at least two Ryder Cup victories through sheer will power. This is not a profile of a player with nerves but he has still failed to win on the American Tour and the elusive major is a spectre on his career.
At Oakmont, Monty decided to sack his caddie days before the event and employ a local man who knew the course.
This kind of rash thinking is typical of a likeable man who is emotional both on and of the course.
His pain and joy are visible to all when he plays and this can only benefit a sport that is often bereft of personalities and awash with automated professionals on the conveyor belt that is the PGA and European Golf Tours.
What it does demonstrate though is the very fine line top sportsmen are judged upon and  while Woods will always be considered as one of the greats only time will tell whether Angel Cabrera can move from ‘good honest pro’ to a ‘special player’ who won more than one major. If he does not then he will be consigned to history along with all the other players who won one major but did not progress.
This could never happen to Montgomerie as his achievements are so individually special and whilst he may never get across that line in a major we will have a rollercoaster ride watching him try.
Bring on Canoustie and the British Open in July. And, of course, look forward to seeing him at the opening of his signature course at Riffa Views!

By Patrick Cummings
patrick.cummings@blueyonder.co.uk