Staff WriterUnder the golden glare of the Sunday sun, the 85th Senior PGA Championship closed with more than just a trophy presentation. It brought catharsis, collapse, and perhaps most poignantly, redemption.
There was Angel Cabrera, clutching the Alfred S. Bourne Trophy, as if he were holding on to a second chance at life itself.
The 55-year-old Argentine, who only returned to competitive golf last year after serving 30 months in prison, carved out a masterclass on the back nine at Congressional Country Club to seal his place in history.
A gritty 2-under 69 left him at 8-under for the week. That was enough to etch his name alongside Lee Trevino (1992), Bernhard Langer (2017), Alex Cejka (2021), and Steve Stricker (2023) as the only men since 1990 to win both the Regions Tradition and the Senior PGA Championship in the same year. Cabrera, ever the trailblazer, did it on back-to-back Sundays.
“I feel very emotional,” said Cabrera, pausing to gather himself as an interpreter relayed his words. “Maybe you can’t see it inside but I’m emotional.”
The tears didn’t need translation.
But if Cabrera’s comeback was the storybook ending, Padraig Harrington’s unravelling was pure Greek tragedy.
By the 14th hole, the Irishman had gone 7-under on his round and led at 10-under overall. He was grinning, making birdies, and for a few fleeting holes, looked like he could walk on water.
“Seven-under (on his round) through 14,” Harrington said. “I could have been more, doing handstands.”
Then he fell off the tightrope. With a double bogey at 15, courtesy of a misjudged 5-wood and a mind that got ahead of itself, Harrington triggered a four-hole collapse that was as haunting as it was human.
“You know, I’ve had a lifelong problem with getting confident and cocky,” he said. “It’s always plagued me my whole life since I’ve been a kid.”
After hacking out of rough on 15, and failing to save par, he dropped to 8-under. At nearly the same moment, Cabrera birdied the 13th, and the two were tied. But only one man was still climbing.
Cabrera birdied the 15th—the same hole that broke Harrington—to take a lead he wouldn’t relinquish. Meanwhile, Harrington missed his chance at redemption with a closing 3-footer at 18 that bent away like a cruel joke.
“I lost a tournament when I was 18 years of age, the Irish Youth, and I did the exact same thing,” he admitted. “Two ahead with three to play and I relaxed.”
As Cabrera tapped in on 18 to seal it at 8-under, Harrington couldn’t watch. The pain was raw, but so was the honesty.
And yet, for all the drama up top, the Senior PGA Championship had other tales to tell. Jason Caron, who snuck into last year’s tournament as a club pro, notched another remarkable T-4 finish.
The 52-year-old, with his family cheering from the ropes, closed with a solid 71 to finish at 282.
“I had no clue after last year what would happen,” Caron said. “But the way things panned out I have been telling myself, ‘Listen, obviously you can hang. If you can, just see how long it can go for.'”
Then there was Bob Sowards, the ever-grinding PGA of America Golf Professional, who posted a 72 to finish at 9-over and claim low club pro honors. His reward? A few hours off before giving lessons back home in Ohio.
“I have lessons starting tomorrow at noon,” he laughed. “It’s what you play for, is to be nervous. Then coming through and hitting good shots when you’re ready to throw up is the ultimate.”
Even the course itself deserves a round of applause. Congressional Country Club, still stately at 101 years old, shrugged off torrential rains and swirling winds to deliver a stage worthy of a major.
Through the gusts and grind, scoring was at a premium—only 10 rounds in the 60s were recorded across the first three days.
Sunday, mercifully, offered a break: 24 sub-par rounds, and a tournament-low 66 from Steven Alker.
But make no mistake, this Senior PGA Championship will be remembered not for numbers, but for narratives.
A man who found forgiveness through golf. Another who found his past haunting the present. And somewhere between them, the timeless truth that the game reveals character like no other.
Angel Cabrera didn’t just win a major on Sunday. He walked back into the world, into the light, and for one glorious afternoon, he stood tall.
