Quacking in Carnoustie Cabrera one stroke back after two rounds at Open Click here for more on this story Posted: Friday July 16, 1999 03:07 PM   Cabrera attributes his success to often playing in similar conditions in South America. AP CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (Reuters) -- Angel Cabrera comes from a part of Argentina were they like to give people nicknames. His is "El Pato" -- the Duck -- and he is taking to Carnoustie like a duck to water this week. On Friday, he fashioned a two-under-par 69 to gain second place, one stroke behind British Open pacesetter Jean Van de Velde of France. He was two shots in front of two of the game's biggest names, world No. 1 Tiger Woods and 1986 and 1993 champion Greg Norman and one better than classy Swede Jesper Parnevik. "I'm very, very happy to be here. I played very well today. I hit the ball very hard and very well," he said. He played a very balanced round, 1 under for each half with four birdies against two bogeys. He said his game had been good lately and was not surprised to be doing so well at the Open. "I was second in the Irish Open two weeks ago," he pointed out. "When you come to a tournament like this, you have many expectations. Things are going well so I'm very happy, very comfortable." He has heard the criticism of the impenetrable Carnoustie rough and narrow fairways and shares it. "But in South America the conditions are very similar. We are accustomd to playing in strong wind," he said. His success at Carnoustie follows a path trodden by two of his compatriots. In 1931, Jose Jurado was leading on the final day but went into the stream at 17 and finished second to Tommy Armour. Then in 1953, Roberto De Vicenzo was level in the lead with Ben Hogan through 54 holes but fell away as Hogan closed with a then-course record 68 for victory. De Vicenzo later won the title in 1967. "In Argentina, if someone plays golf they know and love De Vicenzo. He is a good friend," Cabrera said. He was helped financially at the start of his career by another fine Argentine player, Eduardo Romero, nicknamed "El Gato" -- The Cat. "They look at a face and call a name," Cabrera said. "That province is full of animals." But do they have a Tiger? he was asked. "We don't know if there is a Tiger in Argentina," he replied.   Related information Stories Van De Velde shoots 68 for lead; Woods in the hunt Monty says he's out of contention after 76 British Notes: Weather getting worse Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV. Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

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