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April 9, 2011
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA
TOM NELSON: I'd like to welcome 2009 Masters Champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina to the interview room, the first South American to win the Masters. He followed up a 71-70 with a splendid 67 today which included six birdies to finish at 8-under par.
So let me open it up to any questions people might have.
Q. On the broadcast, Nick Faldo said you spoke with him at the Champions Dinner and told him your game wasn't in great shape. Can you elaborate on that?
ANGEL CABRERA: Yes, I actually stopped playing for four months from August to January. My swing wasn't the same but I've been working on it and just keep plugging.
Q. Can you go through your six birdies and what clubs you hit.
ANGEL CABRERA: No. 2 driver, 3-wood in the bunker and got up-and-down for birdie.
Driver, sand wedge on 7 and made about a five-meter putt.
Driver, sand wedge on 9 and made about a ten-meter putt.
Made a bogey on 10. I missed and couldn't get up-and-down from the bunker.
I hit a pitching wedge on 12 and made about a two-meter putt.
On 13, 3-wood, 5-iron, and I 2-putted from about 12 meters.
15, driver, 5-iron and two putts from about 22 meters.
Q. The first two days, you would make some birdies, you could give them back, you just kept on treading water. What was the difference today?
ANGEL CABRERA: I think the confidence was the key. The first to days I was hitting it okay, but I lacked that confidence and today I had it and I trusted and that made a big difference.
Q. What have you been working lately on the swing and what was the key to the confidence out there today?
ANGEL CABRERA: Nothing special, no. I'm not working on changing anything. I'm just practicing a lot. I didn't play for about four months, so I'm just getting my groove. I'm just practicing a lot.
Q. Kind of what I was going to ask, did you come to Houston last week to it work with Charlie Epps.
ANGEL CABRERA: Not necessarily. Charlie works with me every week now and follows me on Tour. I went to Houston to play that tournament.
Q. If someone had said to you at the start of the week you would be 8-under and in contention to win, would you have believed them?
ANGEL CABRERA: Sincerely, no, especially that I didn't have that confidence. But now that I see that I'm playing well, I sure think I can do it.
Q. Golf is such a big part of your life; what did you do with those four months when you were not playing golf and what brought you back to golf?
ANGEL CABRERA: Watching golf. (Laughter).
Q. What brought you back?
ANGEL CABRERA: I didn't do anything special or different. I was just at home.
I had a problem with tendonitis in the left wrist, so I wanted to come back. But the doctor told me I had to at least stop three months for the tendonitis on my left wrist. So it's not that I didn't want to play; I was told by a doctor.
Q. How big was last Saturday when you worked with Charlie for three hours on the range, and what's it mean to have Angelito on the bag this week?
ANGEL CABRERA: I missed the cut at Houston. I had to keep working so I just went to the range and hit three hours worth of golf balls. That's part of it and that's very special that my son, Angel, is carrying the bag. It's the third time he's done it and it's something very special for me.
Q. What's the difference coming back this year, as opposed to last year, as the defending champion. A lot of people have a hard time that one year back. Are you just more comfortable this year?
ANGEL CABRERA: Yes, I was distracted last year. Obviously people want to be near me and they recognize me. But not like last year.
Q. What did you do with your teeth, and was that difficult to play during that time?
ANGEL CABRERA: Yes, last year I had some implants done. I still have some molds to be put on, and actually next Monday, I have to be with my dentist again.
Q. Have you spoken to your countryman, De Vincenzo, lately?
ANGEL CABRERA: I haven't seen him. He lives in Buenos Aires. I live in Córdoba, so we have very little communication.
Q. What is the proper mentality for the Sunday of a major? Do you get more mold or conservative? How do you balance that?
ANGEL CABRERA: It depends. It all depends. You've got to start your round and start playing and see how things are, but once you are on 10, that's when you know the tournament starts, that's when you know you have to be aggressive and you have to be a little bit back and conservative.
Q. Considering you and Tiger are the only two major winners in the Top-10 of that board right now, and both have won here, what kind of confidence does that give you going into the round, especially when a 21-year-old is the only one in front of you?
ANGEL CABRERA: Yeah, the young kids are playing very well. I think they it deserve it; Rory, Jason. But obviously I have won the Masters, so that should help me a lot.
TOM NELSON: Great playing. All the best. /#* /#1*
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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