Cabrera wins Singapore Open

Angel Cabrera felt experience and his ability to cope under pressure played a big part as he held off the challenge of Vijay Singh to win the Barclays Singapore Open yesterday.

The Argentinian saw his six-shot advantage over Singh wiped out when the Fijian, playing one group ahead, birdied the final hole at Sentosa Golf Club to tie for the lead on seven under.

But the US Open champion kept his cool, hitting his six-iron second shot at the par-five 18th to 20 feet and two-putting to win by one shot.

"Obviously the pressure will always be there but this is how we make a living," said the world number 17.

"I am a world-class player and I know I had to make the birdie to win. And that's exactly what I went on to do.

"It was a really tough day and the wind really picked up. I didn't strike the ball as well as I wanted to at the beginning of my round.

"But I worked at it the whole round and it started coming together down the home stretch. I started hitting the ball very well at the last few holes and I went for it."

The 38-year-old said that it was experience which carried him through to victory in a tournament which featured six of the world's top 20 golfers.

"I've always hit the ball long and I've always hit it the way I do now. It's just that I've had more experience and it's all starting to pay off now," he said.

Having moved up into the world top 20 this year, Cabrera is hoping to continue his rise in 2008.

"I want to keep on winning and try to keep up with the world's best players and just keep taking my game to a higher level," he added.

And the Argentinian expressed delight at being an ambassador for golf in his country.

"There is a lot of talent in Argentina in terms of sports. There's tennis, football and basketball. I'm honoured that I am able to contribute to Argentinian sports now that the country is recovering from the (financial) crisis."