Cabreras capture Father/Son event with final round 60
BASEBALL: Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg said he might skip All-Star games in the future because he thinks the change in routine for that event contributed to an injury last season. The Nationals are slated to host the 2018 game. Strasburg said at the team’s annual fan festival that going to the All-Star game in Miami this year “pushed me back a bit” and “started making my arm hurt.” ... The Brewers agreed to a contract with RHP Yovani Gallardo, according to multiple reports. The Mariners declined an option on Gallardo in November, making him a free agent. Gallardo, 31, spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Brewers before one-year stays with the Rangers, Orioles and Mariners. He has a career record of 113-93 with a 3.93 ERA.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: UCF’s Scott Frost, Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney are the finalists for the Associated Press Coach of the Year award. The winner will be announced Monday.
GOLF: Angel Cabrera and Angel Cabrera Jr. closed with a 12-under 60 to win in their debut at the Father-Son Challenge in Orlando, Fla. The Cabreras finished at 25-under 199 for a three-shot victory over David Duval and Nick Karavites, and Bernhard Langer and Jason Langer . ... Justin Rose played 30 holes on the final day of the weather-delayed Indonesian Masters, closing with a finalround 10-under 62 and an eight-shot win over Phachara Khongwatmai in Jakarta. Rose was 10-under after 13 holes in the final round and looking like he could achieve a 59, but bogeyed the par-4 16th. SOCCER: Kaka announced his retirement, officially wrapping an elite career that included a final stop helping Orlando City make the jump to MLS. The 35-year-old midfielder said in October he would not renew his contract with Orlando City, passing on an offer that would pay him less than the original $7.167 million deal he first signed when the Lions were joining MLS. The former Ballon d’Or winner also played for Brazil, AC Milan and Real Madrid. “I have arrived to the conclusion that now is the moment to finish my career as a professional player,” Kaka said . ... French star Antoine Griezmann apologized after posting an image of himself on social media in blackface as part of an NBA party costume Sunday. Griezmann, who’s white, also was wearing a wig and holding a basketball in the photo which has “NBA 69 ALLSTARS” on the jersey . ... Mohamed Salah reached 20 goals in all competitions in his first season for Liverpool by scoring in a 4-0 win over Bournemouth that lifted his team into the Premier League’s top four . ... Celtic’s record 69-match unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership ended with a 4-0 loss at Hearts — its first defeat in domestic competition since May 2016.
WINTER SPORTS: Jessica Kooreman clinched one of the final Olympic team spots at the U.S. short track speedskating trials in his last race in Kearns, Utah. Kooreman, who also competed in the 2014 Sochi Games, joined Lana Gehring and Olympic rookie Maame Biney on the three-member women’s team . ... After devastating injuries to each of her knees, Anna Veith won a World Cup super-G race in Val d’Isere, France — her first victory since March 2015.
ORLANDO — A garnet belt doesn’t exactly go with a green jacket, but Angel Cabrera will be happy to commit such a fashion crime.
The 2009 Masters champion won the PNC Father/ Son Challenge Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. Along with $200,000, the winners get silver-laden garnet belts that are slightly smaller versions of the title belts boxers are awarded.
Granted, most golf fans don’t revere the PNC event quite as much as that tournament in Augusta. But most golf fans have never teamed with their offspring to win a star-studded tournament.
“I’ve won all over the world,” said Cabrera, who also won the 2007 U.S. Open. “This is a very special win. I can assure you of that.”
He and Angel Jr. combined for a 12-under 60 on Sunday to win by two shots over the teams of Bernhard and Jason Langer and David Duval and Nick Karavites.
The tournament is as much a trip down memory lane as it is a competition. So for the record, Jack Nicklaus and his 15-year-old grandson, Gary, finished 13 shots back. But the 77-year-old Nicklaus made a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole.
Just like old times, the gallery roared.
“I’ve had that before,” Nicklaus said with a grin.
Scores are based on a scramble format, with the team playing of the two shots each hit. To qualify for the tournament, a player has to have won a major or The Players Championship, and his partner can’t have a PGA Tour card.
Angel Jr. has played some on the Latin American tours, but the 26-year-old had never played a tournament with his father before this weekend. The Argentinians were also the last of 20 teams to make the field, getting an invite after Curtis and Tom Strange withdrew.
“Once you make it into a and tournament like this and tee it up, you always know you can win,” Angel Sr. said through an interpreter.
You really get that feeling when you open with a 59, as the Cabreras did Saturday. They were tied at the ninehole turn with Duval’s team on Sunday, then threw in six birdies on the back nine.
The key moment was when Angel Jr. hit his tee shot on No. 16 into the water. Angel Sr.’s tee shot went into a fairway bunker, but he blasted his approach shot onto the green and made the birdie putt.
How do you say hamand-egging it in Spanish? Jamon y huevo. That’s what Team did all day.
“When I missed, my son hit a good shot,” Angel Sr. said, “and the other way around.”
Unlike the Masters, nobody ever seems to leave disappointed at the Father/ Son event. This was the 20th one, and it always attracts a field most tournaments would kill for.
Of course, most of that field is past its prime. But players like Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Lee Trevino relish the chance to compete with their sons (or occasionally daughters).
Nicklaus tees it up once a month now and rarely plays in tournaments, but the family pull keeps him coming back.
This year was the first time he’s played with one of his 22 grandchildren. Gary goes by “G.T”, and Nicklaus sounded like a doting grandad afterward, bragging on G.T.’ musical talent as much as his golfing ability.
“He sings, he plays the piano, he writes his own music,” Nicklaus said.
The 18-time major winner isn’t likely to win another, but his marquee value is what makes that garnet belt go so well with a green jacket.
“To play alongside all the legends like Nicklaus, Trevino, Faldo, Langer and so many others,” Cabrera said. “It’s been a great week for sure.” Cabrera