Angel Cabrera seems poised to make his return to the Masters next year after dealing with some pending legal issues.

The 2009 Masters winner recently secured a visa to return to the United States, reports Golfweek. That was the main obstacle keeping him from competing at Augusta National as a past champion.

Cabrera served 30 months in prison in Brazil and Argentina for domestic violence charges and other charges involving two ex-girlfriends before being released last August. Cabrera’s longtime coach and friend, Charlie Epps, told Golfweek that Cabrera had to take a series of psychological tests after his visa expired in January.

Shortly after that, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said the following at a press conference:

“Angel certainly is one of our great champions. As we all know, he has been unable to participate in the Masters the last couple of years due to legal issues. Presently we have been in constant contact with Angel’s representatives. He presently is not able to enter the United States. He doesn’t have a visa, and I know that that process is being worked through. We certainly wish him the best of luck with that, and we’ll definitely welcome him back if he’s able to straighten out those legal issues.”

Cabrera, 54, was reinstated on both the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions in December. He’s played in several events across a few tours since his release, including finishing T-27 at the Trophy Hassan II, a PGA Tour Champions event in Morocco.

Epps also told Golfweek that Cabrera plans on moving to Houston permanently and playing a more full-time PGA Tour Champions schedule.

“When I talked to him down there, he had really grown up, he understood what life is all about and that he had really made an ass of himself,” Epps told Golfweek. “He’s dedicated to golf and he wants to come back.”

In addition to winning the 2009 Masters, Cabrera won the 2007 U.S. Open. He also won the 2014 Greenbrier Classic on the PGA Tour and three other DP World Tour events.

Cabrera last played in the Masters in 2019. He last played competitively in the U.S. at the 2020 Pure Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach.

Main Image: Phil Inglis