Angel Cabrera misses out in Castellon after frantic dash
Argentine Angel Cabrera watches his drive off the seventh tee during the Volvo Masters at Valderrama November 9, 2002.
Credit: Reuters/Paul Hanna
CASTELLON, Spain (Reuters) - U.S. Masters champion Angel Cabrera failed to make his tee-off at the Castello Masters first round on Thursday after flight delays en route from an event in Bermuda.
The Argentine had been due to arrive in Spain at around 0530 local time after finishing second in the Grand Slam in Bermuda behind American Lucas Glover but was delayed.
A helicopter was laid on at Valencia airport and a landing arranged at a soccer pitch near the Mediterraneo course but Cabrera did not make it.
"I did my best and I never once thought about not coming," the Argentine told reporters after arriving an hour after his scheduled start.
"My son is playing so I wanted to be playing too. And it's such a pity that I missed my chance by about 10 or 15 minutes in the end."
To add to the double major winner's bad luck, play at Castellon was suspended because of high winds -- 12 minutes after he had been due to tee off.
"It was always going to be tight," tournament director Miguel Vidaor told Reuters. "Everything was done to get him here in time. He was changed and ready to go and even went through customs on the plane."
Cabrera, also the 2007 U.S. Open champion, lies ninth on the European money list.
He will stay in Spain to play next week's World Matchplay Championship on the Costa del Sol.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
