Rory McIlroy received a message of support from Angel Cabrera ahead of his . The Northern Irishman finally completed his career Grand Slam in the early hours of Monday morning UK time, adding the famous green jacket to his haul of , and PGA Championship titles.

However, his day started with a small gesture from Cabrera. The Argentine golfer - who himself won the Masters in 2009 left a note in McIlroy's locker. explained: "I got to my locker this morning and I opened it up, and there was a note in there from Angel Cabrera. Just wishing me luck. And Angel Cabrera was the player I played with on the final day in 2011, it was a nice touch and a little bit ironic at the same time. It's been 14 long years, but thankfully I got the job done."

Cabrera was competing at Augusta National for the first time after serving a 30-month prison sentence for assault charges on two of his former partners. And while his presence sparked controversy and criticism from women's advocacy groups, Fred Ridley, chairman of the Masters and Augusta National, staunchly defended the Argentine's participation.

He said (via ): "We certainly abhor domestic violence of any type. As it relates to Angel, Angel has served the sentence that was prescribed by the Argentine courts, and he is the past champion, and so he was invited."

Cabrera also responded to critics questioning his inclusion, expressing understanding for differing views. He said: "I respect their opinion and everybody has their own opinion and I respect that.

"Life has given me another opportunity, I got to take advantage of that and I want to do the right things in this second opportunity. There was a stage in my life of five years, four, five years, that they weren't the right things I should have done.

"Before that I was okay, so I just have to keep doing what I know I can do right. Obviously I regret things that happened and you learn from them, but at the same time those are in the past and we have to look forward what's coming."

When questioned about his rightful place at Augusta National, Cabrera added: "I won the Masters, why not?" As a result of his Masters win back in 2009, Cabrera was present at the Champions Dinner on Tuesday, and will be invited to return once again to the prestigious tournament in 2026.

He and McIlroy played the final round at Augusta in 2011 alongside one another, with the Northern Irishman holding a four-shot lead heading into the day. Unfortunately, he shot a final round of 80, diminishing hopes of clinching his maiden Masters. In a victory 14 years in the making, McIlroy has now made up for that heartbreak and many more along the way.