Angel Cabrera sank a clutch 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Monday morning to complete an 8-under 64, securing his first senior major at the Regions Tradition in Birmingham. The Argentine’s winning total of 20-under 268 was enough to hold off 54-hole leader Jerry Kelly, who finished one shot back after posting a final-round 68.
Kelly fell two strokes behind with a costly bogey on the 17th and couldn’t force a playoff despite birdieing the final hole. The tournament’s conclusion was pushed to Monday after storms interrupted Sunday’s play, with Kelly through 14 holes and Cabrera through 15 when darkness halted proceedings.
This marks Cabrera’s second PGA Tour Champions victory in just two months. He’s finding his form after winning in Florida earlier this year, which was his first title since being released after serving two years in an Argentine prison for gender violence.
Cabrera, 54, is no stranger to major championships. He’s now adding senior major success to an impressive resume that includes two PGA Tour majors – the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont and the 2009 Masters. With this victory, he joins Miguel Angel Jimenez as the only multiple winners on the Champions Tour this season.
Y.E. Yang rounded out the top three, finishing two shots behind Cabrera.
The win comes with a $390,000 payday for Cabrera. Most of the field will now head to Congressional for the Senior PGA Championship starting Thursday. It’s worth noting the Regions Tradition is unique among the five senior majors as the only one that doesn’t provide entry into a corresponding PGA Tour event.
