Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
They say that golf is a gentleman’s game and yesterday’s final round of the Masters Tournament was once again proof of that. While the playoff between eventual winner Adam Scott and runner-up Angel Cabrera was being played, I couldn’t help but notice there was a friendly vibe between the players as they competed for the coveted green jacket. Today, I found out why.
Yahoo! Sports reports that in 2009, Cabrera helped resurrect Scott’s career during the 2009 President’s Cup event. Scott was in the worst slump of his career when he was chosen to play on the International Team and no one wanted to play with him until Cabrera volunteered. The pair lost the only match they played together but after it was over Cabrera pulled Scott aside and told him “You’re a great, great player.”
Scott said yesterday he remembered the gesture and that it was “really nice of him.”
Perhaps it was that bond that made the playoff in the Masters so wonderful to watch yesterday. There was no animosity between them and no matter who you were rooting for, it seemed like no one could have been upset if the other player won. That is a very rare thing to do in sports these days, yet they made it look easy. It now makes sense why Cabrera and Scott shared that great thumbs up moment with their approaches on the 10th green during their second playoff hole.
“Angel is a great man,” Scott said. “To do that at that point is very nice. I think, with limited abilities to converse, you know, we would consider each other friends and have a lot of respect for each other.”
I can’t remember the last time we’ve seen such camaraderie between two players in an individual sport, especially while battling for the sport’s greatest honor. If we needed any more proof that golf is a gentleman’s game, we saw it last night between Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera.
It was a great moment for all sports fans to see and it’s a reminder that it’s just a game; a game played by gentlemen.
you can chat with or contact Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi
