Romero makes himself at home with 63 at Turnberry

Published on Saturday 29 July 2006 00:58

ALMOST as much at home on the Scottish linksland as the pampas of Argentina, Eduardo Romero yesterday earned a share of the lead with America's Loren Roberts at the halfway mark of the £1 million Senior British Open thanks to a thrilling 63 for the ten-under mark of 130.

A winner of the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond four years ago, Romero feels very much at ease in this part of the world and says the knowledgable galleries help to bring out the best in his game. Playing with Sam Torrance, who was out of sorts and missed the cut, as well as the defending champion, Tom Watson, Romero putted beautifully and described his overall performance as "fantastic".

The Argentine brought his family to Ayrshire this week and has rented a house in Maybole. "Playing in Scotland is just like playing at home for me," he said. "Turnberry is quite similar to the courses we have in the south of Argentina."

A long hitter who sometimes struggles with the short stick, Romero has taken a year off from yoga exercises and is concentrating harder than ever on holing putts. His driver, though, is as hot as ever. On the par-5 17th, he smashed his FT-3 some 379 yards, wedged onto the green and holed from four feet for eagle. "The longest drive of my life," he beamed before matching his lowest ever score in Europe.

On the same mark as Romero, Roberts proved that becoming part of the backroom team at a Ryder Cup is no longer a sure-fire recipe for ruining a golfer's game. In the same week Ian Woosnam, Europe's captain, carded 13 under at the Deutschebank, and Corey Pavin, another of Tom Lehman's assistants, went out in 26 and shot 61 in the first round of the US Bank tournament in Milwaukee, Roberts threw in another 65 at Turnberry. "Let's go, old guys," grinned Roberts.

Keeping a bogey off his card for the second day running, Roberts made five birdies and, unusually for a man with a reputation as one of the best putters in golf, left a few putts shy of the hole. On a still, overcast day made for low scoring, Roberts stuck impressively to the straight and narrow on the Ailsa until a wayward second shot on the par-5 17th struck a spectator on the head.

Ironically, the victim was a Turnberry member, Catherine McCrindle, who had been a scorer for Roberts' three-ball on Thursday. Roberts saw the ball hit the lady on the top of the head and was concerned for her well-being. "I thought, 'oh my gosh, I've really hurt her badly'. But they had a look at her and said she was fine."

As if that wasn't enough carnage to be going on with, Mark James, 70 for 137, who was playing with Roberts, hit a spectator with another loose shot on the 18th. "We're mowing them down one after another," quipped James.

After Roberts and Craig Stadler, 66 for 131, took advantage of ideal scoring conditions, both former US Ryder Cup players were enjoying themselves so much they endorsed calls for closer links between the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour by suggesting a biennial matchplay event to be contested between the over-50 golfers of the rest of the world and the USA.

While the performances of Roberts, who played at Oak Hill in 1995, and Stadler, who featured against Europe in 1983 and 1985, suggested the Americans would be strong favourites if such a contest came about in the near future, Stadler believes the seniors circuit needs to differentiate itself more from the regular Tours and place a greater emphasis on personality golf.

According to Andy Stubbs, managing director of the European Seniors, talks have already begun about introducing a matchplay event which would pitch over-50 golfers from the rest of the world against the USA in a seniors version of the Presidents Cup. "We've been talking to the Champions Tour and we hope that leads to more international events rather than less," said Stubbs.

Regarded as one of the best putters in golf, Roberts finds his peers are too proud to ask him for tips. "I don't think there is any secret," he said. "You know, for me, speed control is the whole deal. There's a pretty proud bunch of guys out there and it's tough to go and ask for tips."

Roberts looks up to Ben Crenshaw as an outstanding putter in a different style. He sees Dave Stockton and Phil Mickelson as similar to his own long, slow-action stroke. "But Ben was the one I liked to watch," he added. "I've never seen anyone more disappointed if a 25 footer lipped out..."

Fuzzy Zoeller, 65 for 135, chipped in for eagle on the 17th but looked on disbelievingly as a little pitch and run on the last came up short and cost him a bogey. Always the most colourful of characters, the former Masters champion likened the trajectory of this shot to "a soft t**d falling from a tall mule".

There was nothing but disappointment for Torrance as he ran up 8 on the 16th and posted 75 for 148. Bill Longmuir, John Chillas, who withdrew because of injury, Craig Maltman, Steve Martin and amateur Peter Lamb, who didn't turn up, were among the other Scots who completed an evacuation which echoed last week's disappointment at Hoylake when all their younger brethren missed the cut at the Open.