MASTERS winner Angel Cabrera, who recently spent 30 MONTHS in prison, has been denied a return to Augusta due to visa issues.

The Argentine, 54, who won the 2007 US Open and 2009 Masters, served two and a half years for charges including domestic violence and assault filed by his ex-wife Silva Rivadero and two of his ex-girlfriends.

He was released last summer and, despite his crimes, is eligible to play at the Masters as a former champion.

However, the man nicknamed “The Duck” in reference to his unique walking style, will not appear at the 2024 edition as his US visa request has been denied.

Cabrera’s agent, Manuel Tagle, confirmed he will miss the tournament.

He told Golfweek: “More information has been requested and will be provided to the embassy shortly.

“Final decision on the visa will take no less than 8 to 10 weeks. He will not be at The Masters.”

It comes as Fred Ridley, the Augusta National Golf Club chairman, insisted they would “welcome him back”.

He said: “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 was transferred to three different prisons during his sentence, the first of which – Carcel de Bouwer in Cordoba – is known as “The Prison of Hell”.

Tagle spoke about Cabrera’s prison conditions while he was behind bars, saying: “Bouwer is a typical South American prison, all concrete and bars.

“Inmates there are crammed into a large hall filled with tables and chairs for 10 hours a day with limited access to the outdoors.”

Cabrera was later move to the Monte Cristo prison that was described as “night and day” compared with his previous facility.