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VOLVO PGA CHAMPIONSHIP


May 25, 2001


Angel Cabrera


SURREY, ENGLAND

ANGEL CABRERA: On the third hole, good driver, 8-iron and one-and-a-half-metre putt. 55, 8-iron to ten metres. 10th hole, a very good 6-iron and I holed it from four metres. A very good driver on the 11th. Sand wedge and one-and-a-half-metre putt. On the 12th, a very good drive. One of the best drivers I've hit in a long time. 8-iron and three-metre putt. On the 13th, 3-wood, 7-iron and eight-metre putt. On the 17th, driver, 2-iron, chip from 15 to 20 yards and one-metre putt. On the 18th, driver, 3-iron, chip from 25 yards and one-metre putt.

Q. How long was the drive at No. 12?

ANGEL CABRERA: 325 yards.

Q. Longest drive of the year? Longer at than, the one in Johannesburg on the 16th hole?

ANGEL CABRERA: I didn't play Johannesburg. I think my longest drive was the one I hit on the 15th hole at the Belfry -- from 375 yards.

Q. What ball do you use? Do you use the Titleist Pro V1?

ANGEL CABRERA: Yeah.

Q. How much longer are you with that ball?

ANGEL CABRERA: 15 yards. Ten, 15 yards.

Q. From the Professional? Did you play the Professional?

ANGEL CABRERA: No.

Q. What did the Masters do for your confidence, your belief in doing well, leading?

ANGEL CABRERA: Playing so well in such a big tournament, maybe one of the greatest tournaments, it gives you a lot of confidence and you realise that you can be fighting with the biggest.

Q. Right now you're a bit longer than Tiger Woods. Is that a key to your game, as well? You've been a big driver for a long while?

ANGEL CABRERA: No. I'm not trying to hit it longer than anybody, and I'm not thinking on hitting it longer than Tiger. I'm just trying to improve my game every time, and I'm just trying to hit the ball as well as I can, but by hitting so far, I'm just doing it well and nothing else.

Q. Tiger was in -- when we were speaking to Tiger the other day, he said he broke the faces of a couple of illegal drivers because of his hand speed, etc. Have you ever broken the face of a club because you hit the ball so hard?

ANGEL CABRERA: No. I've never hit the driver. It only happened to me once, but I think it was a problem three or four years ago when the new Ping drivers came along, I had that problem, but never again.

Q. Have you spoken to Coceres about playing in the States and will you follow suit one day maybe?

ANGEL CABRERA: I don't talk that much with Jose because I live in Cordoba and he lives in Buenos Aires so we didn't see each other that much, but my goal is always -- has always been to play in America. I don't know if it is going to stay there, but I don't know if it is going to stay.

Q. Which was a better experience, winning in Argentina or playing so well in the Masters?

ANGEL CABRERA: The whole year was a great experience last year. I had a very, very good season and I learned at each tournament I played. Everything was a new and a good experience. The World Cup helped a lot. The Masters, obviously, I think every tournament helped me a lot and gave me a lot of confidence.

Q. When will you play in America and why?

ANGEL CABRERA: I don't know. Probably the next year or in five years, whenever the time comes, I don't know.

Q. And why?

ANGEL CABRERA: I cannot play there right now. Still, I haven't got the card, but I will keep trying to get it. As soon as I get the card, I will play there.

Q. Why are you called Pato?

ANGEL CABRERA: My father used to be called Pato and as I started caddying when he was playing, they started calling me Pato, as well and that has always stayed with me.

Q. When you were a small boy, did you hit the ball a long way then?

ANGEL CABRERA: No. Everybody talks about Cabrera, how long he hits and how strong he is, but I don't have any interest on that. It's something that I've got naturally and I just hit it as long as I can, but it doesn't really bother me.

Q. Why was your father called Pato?

ANGEL CABRERA: I don't know. (Laughter.)

Q. You're probably a good driver, but a great chipper? Is chipping one of your strong points, too?

ANGEL CABRERA: I think my whole game has improved. But maybe the thing that has improved more is my putting. Before, I only wanted to hit it very close, because if I didn't hit it very close, I knew I was going to miss that putt and I got very upset and very angry and I was missing a lot of shots like that. But now I leave them where I want them and I'm putting much better.

Q. Do you come from a very poor family?

ANGEL CABRERA: Yeah. Yes, I couldn't study anything because we didn't have any money at home. So I started caddying, and I always enjoy caddying, because I could earn a little bit of money to take home.

Q. When you say you couldn't study, do you mean from what age?

ANGEL CABRERA: I finished school at 11 and then I started caddying.

Q. Does that happen nowadays or do they make you stay in school longer?

ANGEL CABRERA: Yes, the same thing can happen right now because the financial situation in Argentina is not very good now, either. So the same thing can happen. There's many people, many, many families that cannot send their children to school because they have no money.

Q. Do you have a big family? And how good of a player was your father?

ANGEL CABRERA: I am the oldest of three brothers. I've got one brother and one sister, and my father never played golf. He was working. We used to live very, very close to a golf course, but he never played golf. He was working in gardening. He was a gardener.

Q. Have you continued with your education yourself? Do you read a lot -- or what have you done for yourself since you were 11?

ANGEL CABRERA: It is a little bit difficult now because this is a job, what I'm doing right now and it takes me something like eight hours per day, so I don't really have time to do that. But I'm trying to learn English, which I think is a very important thing, and yes, I read a lot.

End of FastScripts....

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