Masters champ Cabrera drawing big crowds

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- New Masters champion Angel Cabrera is expected to attract unprecedented galleries this week in his bid to win a record eighth hometown Centro Open.

"Cabrera's presence has sparked an unusual interest," in the tournament, Cordoba Golf Club president Manuel Tagle acknowledged on Wednesday.

Tagle predicted the crowd to nearly triple to 8,000 thanks to Cabrera, who became the first South American to win the Masters last weekend. Hundreds have already been watching him practice.

Cabrera will be one of 140 participants in the 78th annual Centro Open, which starts on Thursday at Cordoba, where he was introduced to golf as a caddie three decades ago.

Cabrera, 39, has won the tournament seven times -- including three in a row to 2007 -- in his hometown of Villa Allende, nestled in the hills of north-central Argentina.

Another victory would give him the tournament record.

At a news conference, he said, "There are no limits in a golf career and more (titles) can always be won.

"I'm very proud because it was a year of hard work" preparing for the Masters.

The field for the Centro Open included defending champion Estanislao Goya, who won his first European Tour title last month, the Madeira Islands Open. The 20-year-old Goya topped the Tour de Las Americas money list last season.

"This year it's going to be impossible to repeat a title win with Cabrera here," Goya said on Wednesday.

Andres Romero, Daniel Vancsik, a four-time champion on the European Tour, and Villa Allende native Eduardo Romero, winner of the 2008 U.S. Senior Open, were also entered.

While triumphant images of Cabrera dominated the front pages on Monday of Argentina's leading daily newspapers, La Nacion and Clarin -- space normally dedicated to recapping Argentina's Sunday football frenzy -- the Masters winner acknowledged his glory will be shortlived.

"The fact that I won the Masters is not going to change the importance of football in my country," Cabrera said.

But he hopes his second major victory after the 2007 U.S. Open will give golf another boost in Argentina, following other historic achievements by Argentina.

The third-place finish by the Pumas in the 2007 World Cup bolstered interest in rugby, and the continued success of David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro on the world tennis circuit has drawn flocks of youngsters to the sport.

Cabrera, ranked 18th in the world, hopes his win will catalyze interest in his passion as well.

"Returning to Argentina with a major is very important," he said, "so that golf continues to grow in my country."

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