Apr 13, 2009, 17:44 GMT
Buenos Aires - Argentine golf legend Roberto De Vicenzo showed Monday his disdain of comparisons with compatriot Angel Cabrera, who won his second Major this weekend at the Masters.
In 1968, De Vicenzo himself failed to win in Augusta because he made a mistake in writing. He accidentally signed for a four on the 17th hole, when in fact he had taken three, and under the rules he had to accept the higher score. He should have been involved in a play-off with American Bob Goalby, but he ended up being runner-up.
'If people see it that way, then Cabrera is a lot better than me. The only thing I did in my career was to win the British Open in 1967, to sign the card wrong in Augusta in 1968 and to win some 230 tournaments around the world,' he wrote sarcastically Monday in a column in the daily La Nacion.
'I am an Argentine and I always stand up for people from my country. I have never felt jealous, I have no envy and I do not lie,' he stressed.
As to comparisons between Cabrera's triumph and his own missed chance to win the Masters, De Vicenzo said that the two 'are not equivalent situations.'
'That happened 41 years ago and we are now in the face of new generations,' he noted.
De Vicenzo, 86, praised his countryman's feat in no uncertain terms.
'It was a great day not just for golf, but for Argentine sport as a whole. It is a milestone that would make anyone emotional,' he said.
''The Duck' (Cabrera) went for all or nothing, loyal to his own style. And he got his reward,' De Vicenzo added. 'And he was lucky. To win great tournaments you have to have the champion's luck.'
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