Masters chairman Fred Ridley has defended his decision to invite former champion Angel Cabrera to compete at Augusta this week despite the golfer's prison time for domestic abuse.
The 55-year-old Argentine will play at the prestigious tournament for the first time since 2019.
Cabrera's return has sparked controversy, particularly among women's rights groups who have expressed outrage at his participation.
The former champion recently attended Scottie Scheffler's Masters Champions Dinner ahead of his competitive return.
Angel Cabrera was previously found guilty of abusing his wife, girlfriend and another woman
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Cabrera, who won the Masters in 2013, spent more than two years in an Argentine prison following his conviction.
In 2021 and 2022, he was found guilty of "sexually, psychologically and physically abusing" his wife, girlfriend and another woman.
His legal troubles had prevented him from competing at Augusta in recent years.
The golfer had been unable to enter the United States due to visa issues related to his criminal convictions.
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Masters chairman Fred Ridley has defended his decision to invite former champion Angel Cabrera to compete at Augusta this week despite the golfer's prison time for domestic abuse
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Ridley, the Masters chair, has been direct in his defence of the decision to invite Cabrera back.
"We certainly abhor domestic violence of any type," he said.
"As it relates to Angel, Angel has served the sentence that was prescribed by the Argentine courts, he is the past champion and so he was invited."
The chairman's stance has drawn criticism from those who believe Cabrera's violent past should disqualify him from the prestigious event.
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Despite this, Augusta's leadership has maintained that his status as a former champion warrants his inclusion.
Last year, Ridley caused outrage when he declared that Augusta will eventually "welcome" Cabrera back with open arms.
In January 2024, he said: "Angel certainly is one of our great champions. As we all know, he has been unable to participate in the Masters the last couple of years due to legal issues."
Ridley added: "We certainly wish him the best of luck with that, and we'll definitely welcome him back if he's able to straighten out those legal issues."
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The chairman confirmed they had been in "constant contact" with Cabrera's representatives throughout the process.
Cabrera himself has expressed gratitude for his return to the Masters.
"I'm very grateful and obviously the people of the golf world are very great with me," he said.
Angel Cabrera previously won the Masters back in 2013
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The Argentine acknowledged his past mistakes, stating: "There was a stage in my life of four, five years, that I wasn't doing the right things I should have done.
"Life has given me another opportunity. I have got to take advantage of that and I want to do the right things in this second opportunity.
"Everybody has their own opinion and I respect that."
