Rafael Cabrera-Bello
| Rafael Cabrera-Bello | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Rafael Cabrera-Bello |
| Nickname | Rafa |
| Born |
25 May 1984 Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain |
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 81 kg (179 lb; 12.8 st) |
| Nationality |
 Spain |
| Residence | Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2005 |
| Current tour(s) | European Tour |
| Professional wins | 5 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 2 |
| Challenge Tour | 2 |
| Other | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T17: 2016 |
| U.S. Open | T47: 2010 |
| The Open Championship | T21: 2013 |
| PGA Championship | T29: 2013 |
Rafael "Rafa" Cabrera-Bello (born 25 May 1984) is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour.
Professional career
Cabrera-Bello was born in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. He first played golf aged six and went on to enjoy a successful amateur career, winning the Spanish National Championship at every age group level from under-7 through under-18. In 2002, as a 17-year-old amateur, he finished in a tie for fourth at the Open de Espana,[1] a European Tour event. He turned professional at the age of 20 in 2005, having narrowly missed out obtaining a European Tour card at final qualifying school. His performance did ensure a place for the second tier Challenge Tour.
In a successful first season Cabrera-Bello recorded his maiden professional victory, at the MAN NÖ Open in Austria. He finished the season 13th in the Tour rankings, earning him a place on the following year's European Tour. He struggled during his rookie season in 2007, failing to finish better than tied for 18th in any tournament as he finished outside the top 200 on the Order of Merit. He failed to regain his playing status at the end of season qualifying school and returned to the Challenge Tour for 2008. His second professional victory came in the 2008 Credit Suisse Challenge, and he ended the year by once again earning graduation to the main tour, finishing 14th in the rankings.
Cabrera-Bello's second season of European Tour golf proved far more successful. In his first eleven events, he missed only one cut, finishing in the top 10 on four occasions and the top 20 a further five times. After such a promising start to the season he suffered a slump in form, making only 2 of his next 10 cuts. However, he bounced back in dramatic style at the Austrian Open in September. Lying nine shots off the lead after the first two rounds, he recorded a third round 66 to move up the leaderboard, before firing a record-equalling 11-under-par final round of 60 to claim victory by one shot ahead of Benn Barham, who had led for the entire tournament. His performance equalled the record for any round on the European Tour, and was only the third time a player had carded a final round 60 to win a tour event.[1] In 2012 he claimed the biggest win of his career at the Dubai Desert Classic against a field containing three of the world's top four.
By finishing third at the 2016 WGC-Dell Match Play, he rose to 36th in the Official World Golf Ranking and as a result, qualified for the 2016 Masters Tournament.[2] He followed with a top-5 finish in the Shell Houston Open and earned Special Temporary Member status for the remainder of the 2015–16 season.
Professional wins (5)
European Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 Sep 2009 | Austrian Golf Open | –20 (71-67-66-60=278) | 1 stroke |  Benn Barham |
| 2 | 12 Feb 2012 | Omega Dubai Desert Classic | –18 (63-69-70-68=270) | 1 stroke |  Stephen Gallacher, Lee Westwood |
European Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2014 | BMW International Open |  Grégory Havret,  Henrik Stenson, Fabrizio Zanotti |
Zanotti won with par on fifth extra hole Cabrera-Bello eliminated with par on fourth hole Havret eliminated with birdie on second hole |
Challenge Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 Jul 2006 | MAN NÖ Open | –16 (61-68-66-69=264) | 2 strokes |  Niki Zitny |
| 2 | 13 Jul 2008 | Credit Suisse Challenge | –25 (67-64-68-68=267) | 2 strokes | Gary Lockerbie |
Other wins (1)
- 2005 Canarias Professional Championship (as an amateur)
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T17 |
| U.S. Open | T47 | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | T81 | T21 | CUT | T40 | |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | CUT | T29 | 73 | CUT |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Yellow background for top-10.
Results in World Golf Championships
Results not in chronological order prior to 2015.
| Tournament | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac Championship | 65 | T63 | DNP | DNP | T11 |
| Dell Match Play | R64 | R32 | DNP | DNP | 3 |
| Bridgestone Invitational | T29 | DNP | DNP | DNP | |
| HSBC Champions | T46 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
Amateur
- Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2000, 2001 (winners)
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Spain): 2004
Professional
See also
References
- 1 2 "Rafael Cabrera Bello wins Austrian Open with final round of 60". The Guardian. 20 September 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
- ↑ Harig, Bob (27 March 2016). "Masters field taking shape; one more spot up for grabs". ESPN.
External links
- Rafael Cabrera-Bello at the European Tour official site
- Rafael Cabrera-Bello at the Official World Golf Ranking official site