Saturday night at the Masters: I'm torn

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- I want Angel Cabrera to win the Masters.

I want Kenny Perry to win the Masters.

They are tied for the lead after three rounds. I am torn.

Why Cabrera, of all people? Well, during a Thursday radio interview on 1700 The Champ in Des Moines with Andy Garman, I tabbed Cabrera as my pick to win the Masters among all players who aren't Tiger Woods.

So, vanity pulls me toward Cabrera. Oh, how we love to be right.

Anyone who wants to hear audible proof of my prediction (made after I knew Cabrera was 3-under through 9 holes on Thursday), can check for themselves at this link.

Perry, meanwhile, is the defending champ at Eastern Iowa/Western Illinois' John Deere Classic. If he wins, the Deere has the reigning Masters champ. So that's a good story for all of us who cover it.

Perry, by the way, isn't the type to go all big-time if he does win on Sunday (another reason to want him to prevail). He's already set to fly into Moline for the Deere's media day later this spring.

Perry honored a commitment to play a PGA Tour event the week after the Deere in Milwaukee last year instead of switching to the British Open that same weekend. He had told Milwaukee he was coming, and when he did enough winning to qualify for the British, he said no thanks.

Many in the golf world ripped him for passing up the berth, saying it was a golden opportunity to show he was ready for international competition, since he was going to play for the U.S. in the Ryder Cup

Perry didn't waver and participated in a grateful tourney in Milwaukee. He went on to show his mettle by playing very well for the victorious U.S. squad a couple months later.

I like Cabrera because he won a U.S. Open without being able to speak English. But there's the rub. He's won a U.S. Open. He's had his.

Perry, with no majors among his 13 PGA Tour win), would be the oldest player (48 years, 8 months) to ever win a major.

He lost in a playoff to Mark Brooks for the 1996 PGA Championship, held in his home state of Kentucky.

"That stings," Perry said after his third-ruond 70 here Saturday. "That's still with me today. I've carried that for a long time."

Kenny Perry. He looks every day of 48 years old. He says he doesn't have the physical golf skills he had in his 20's and 30's, but his mind is so much better now.

Take it from a guy in Perry's age bracket. That's really nice to hear.

Fairways and greens tomorrow, Kenny. Fairways and greens.