They call you El Pato [the duck, in Spanish]. Why?
I've had that since I was a kid. They called my father "Pato" and then they started calling me "Pato."
But why the duck?
I have no idea. In Cordoba, everybody has a nickname. Eduardo Romero is "El Gato" [the cat]. Everybody has a nickname, sometimes it means nothing.
Are you anxious about playing week-to-week on the PGA Tour? [Cabrera earned his Tour card by placing among the top 125 on the money list in 2006.]
Not really. For me it's a challenge, nothing more. The Americans are the best players in the world, and America has the best courses. It's just a challenge, something I need to do. You are not a real world player until you play in America and prove yourself there.
You're playing very well again after a few rough years. What's changed? Are you feeling better physically, or is it just the cyclical nature of the game?
I believe it's a mix of many things. If you're playing poorly one week, then again the week after, and the week after that, it's hard to turn yourself around. There aren't many players who become great and stay great week after week. Everyone goes through a rough patch. There are many examples: Ernie Els, how long has it been since he's won a tournament? David Duval, he just disappeared! We all have our great moments and our bad moments. If you castigate yourself, if you worry too much about the bad times, it will finish you.
Do you relate better to the players of old, who liked a few cocktails after a round and had never heard of the fitness trailer?
Yes, I do. And I've never frequented the gym. I haven't changed anything. For me, I've always stayed the same, never changed because of what other people are doing. I've never been to a gym, not once in my life, if you can believe it. [Laughs.]
Moving on to Augusta. You have four top-15 finishes at the Masters in the last seven years—and three missed cuts. You seem to either burn up Augusta National or fold like origami. Why?
Augusta is a golf course that either motivates you or does the opposite. When I'm playing well at Augusta, I play really well. When I play poorly, I play very poorly. Ciao! Everything is over. I either want to be number one or nothing. I'm not interested in being number 40 at the Masters.
You've been in contention at a few majors, but never got comfortable enough to pull off a victory, even when you were playing well. Why haven't you been able to close?
I don't think it's easy to win a major just when you want to win a major. It's not like you can just say, "I'm going to win a major today" and then win it. You win a major when your moment arrives. I think the only person right now who can say he'll win and win is Tiger Woods. The rest of us need to wait.
If you're going to win one of the majors, which of them do you think gives you the best chance?
The British Open.
Why?
Because everybody has the same chance there. We all have the same chance.
