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QUAIL HOLLOW CHAMPIONSHIP

April 29, 2009

Angel Cabrera

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

MARK STEVENS: We'd like to welcome Mr. Angel Cabrera to the media center. Mr. Cabrera is coming off his win at the Masters. This is his first appearance since that event at the Quail Hollow Championship. If you would just make some general comments about what it's been like since the Masters and then your thoughts coming into this week.
ANGEL CABRERA: It was incredible to go back to my country and to be with my people, just was really a special, special feeling. I played in my local championship at my club, and it's just really been great.

Q. A very important question: There was a magazine story that you ate nine hamburgers for dinner that night at Augusta.
ANGEL CABRERA: No, it's not true (laughter). I don't like hamburgers anyway. It's not true.

Q. Seriously, what was it like when you came here? How have the players reacted to you?
ANGEL CABRERA: It's very nice that my fellow professionals have congratulated me the way that they have. Everybody has been wonderful, and it's just a great feeling.

Q. Was it any different from the way they reacted to you after Oakmont?
ANGEL CABRERA: The first major was very, very important to me. It really helped my career. The second is different, but it's just a wonderful feeling to have won two majors.

Q. Where is the green jacket now, and how much did you wear it in the last two weeks?
ANGEL CABRERA: I got home and I put it in a safe place in my house. I did not use it.

Q. Do you look at it? Is it in a place where you can every day --
ANGEL CABRERA: I still go to see and make sure it's there (laughter).

Q. How long did the celebration last?
ANGEL CABRERA: I got home on Tuesday evening and we had a nice celebration, but the next morning on Wednesday I started my tournament there at my local club where I grew up.

Q. You were quoted as saying that you were going for a third major and you're not going to stop until you get to five or more. Did you say that?
ANGEL CABRERA: I'm going to win as many as I can. I don't care if it's three or five or whatever, I just want to win as many as I can.

Q. Did you practice after playing in the tournament? How is your game right now?
ANGEL CABRERA: My game is real good. We've been practicing real well, and I feel real good myself, so that's really important.

Q. Why do you feel good?
ANGEL CABRERA: Because I've really been working very hard to get to this point in my career.
CHARLIE EPPS: He's been working hard since February of this year. He started the year out going to the Ping factory, getting his clubs right and getting his putting right, and ever since then he's really been working, practicing very, very hard with this in mind.

Q. The one thing you notice with your record, especially on the U.S. Tour, is only a couple of Top 10s, but the biggest events, Masters, U.S. Open, World Golf Championship, et cetera. How important is it for you to develop more consistency to continually be amongst the Top 10 challenging each week?
ANGEL CABRERA: I'm working very hard to get as high as I can in the World Ranking and to stay there and to keep my game at a high level. I've had some success, but I want to stay up there and get more consistent and finish every tournament very well.

Q. This is the 50th anniversary of Ping. When did you hook up with Ping and what has Ping meant to you?
ANGEL CABRERA: 1996 I started playing Ping. I feel very, very comfortable with the people at Ping. They've treated me well over the years. John Solheim went to Argentina last year and played in my benefit tournament. This year when we went to the Ping factory they stopped production and all the employees came out and met with me and signed autographs, and they're a very serious company, and I like representing them.

Q. Where is the gold putter from Oakmont?
CHARLIE EPPS: He can't tell you, he'd have to kill you.
ANGEL CABRERA: It's in my house.

Q. Is it next to the green jacket?
ANGEL CABRERA: No, two different places.

Q. We've heard from Chad Campbell and a little bit Tiger and Kenny last week, and they talk about Masters is over, they think back on the week and one shot here, one shot there. What did you do in the couple days after? Do you also think back to the Masters of how you won? They were thinking of how they didn't win. I'm just curious how much time you spent thinking about how you did.
ANGEL CABRERA: I always thought of staying focused and getting to the last nine of the Masters, and like everybody says, Masters starts on the back nine, and I just wanted to have that opportunity. I think of that.

Q. You said after U.S. Open the one shot, your best shot of the U.S. Open, was the drive on 18. What was the one shot that won you the Masters?
ANGEL CABRERA: The putt on 16.
CHARLIE EPPS: For birdie when Kenny Perry had knocked it in there close.
ANGEL CABRERA: If I miss that putt, I don't have a chance because Kenny has a three-shot lead, so that was the key shot for me.

Q. You took a lot of time thinking about that.
ANGEL CABRERA: No.

Q. Was it difficult for you to get motivated to return to the TOUR, and was it any different than after the U.S. Open?
ANGEL CABRERA: No, I really wanted to come back. I'm glad I'm back. I want to be back.
CHARLIE EPPS: He wants to play well, and success breeds success for him.

Q. How does it feel that you get to go back to Augusta every year as long as you want?
ANGEL CABRERA: I can play there until I want to, and I like that.

Q. You seemed to be having fun during the playoff the last few holes there at Augusta. Were you having fun?
ANGEL CABRERA: I knew it was up to me, and I just wanted to have a chance to win. It wasn't that I was having fun, I just wanted to stay in the moment and keep that chance alive.

Q. What will you serve for dinner next year?
ANGEL CABRERA: That's a good question. Like a good Argentine, we're going to have a great asado, which is a great barbecue with a lot of different meats, and a little wine.

Q. A little barbecue, a lot of wine?
ANGEL CABRERA: (Laughing.)

Q. Any vegetables?
ANGEL CABRERA: Vegetables, no; meat and potatoes.

Q. What did you do for meals during the week of the Masters? Did someone cook?
CHARLIE EPPS: Yes, he cooked and I did the dishes. We'd go to Kroger's every night and he'd prepare the meal, chicken and rice, chicken and spaghetti, salisbury steak. He doesn't buy anything in a can. It's all fresh. So we had a good time.

Q. You didn't ever bother going to a restaurant that week?
ANGEL CABRERA: No, I don't like to wait.

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