Viva Argentina!

By Greg Midland

One last thought on the 2009 Masters champion, Angel Cabrera. I had the good fortune to travel to Argentina in February with about two dozen golf professionals to sample a few of the best courses in this golf-rich country. In addition to spending more time than we ever expected eating some of the finest steaks in the world, our group got to sample five courses around the capital city of Buenos Aires. Golf has been played in Buenos Aires for more than 125 years, when British settlers first brought the game to Argentina. While golf is a distant second behind soccer in the Argentine sports pantheon, Cabrera's second major win will only help boost its profile.

One of the highlights of the trip -- in addition to trading a New York winter for an Argentine summer for a week -- was the opportunity we had to meet and interact with two legends of Argentinian golf, Eduardo Romero and Roberto De Vicenzo. Romero, or "El Gato," as he is known by Argentinians, has had a very successful run on the Champions Tour, and won an event just a couple months ago. But it is De Vicenzo, now 86 years old and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, who put Argentine golf on the map. He won the 1967 British Open at Hoylake, by two strokes over Jack Nicklaus. The following year, he made one of the biggest gaffes in golf history. De Vicenzo signed for a 66 in the final round of the 1968 Masters, rather than the 65 he actually shot, which would have put him in a playoff with Bob Goalby. Instead, Goalby was the outright champion, and De Vicenzo uttered the now-famous words, "What a stupid I am!"

Rest assured, De Vicenzo is anything but. When he walked into the clubhouse at Pilar Golf Club outside Buenos Aires, everyone in attendance, from golf pros to clubhouse staff to members, congregated around him. I was able to pose with him for this picture (above), along with teaching pro Pat Eggeling of Old Oaks and head pro Don Beatty of Garden City Country Club. De Vicenzo clearly set the bar for players like Romero, Cabrera, and young Andres Romero to follow in his footsteps and bring deserved recognition to Argentinian golf.