Eduardo Romero, former U.S. Senior Open champion, dies at age 67

In 1980, Argentina’s Roberto De Vicenzo won the first U.S. Senior Open, winning the title by defeating amateur William Campbell by a shot. That same year, in Cordoba, Argentina, 26-year-old amateur golfer Eduardo Romero, turned pro, embarking on his own professional golf career delayed for two years due to his service in the Argentina military. De Vicenzo was one of Romero’s idols, Romero a protégé of the Argentine legend. Twenty-eight years after De Vicenzo’s U.S. Senior Open heroics, Romero would hoist the same trophy De Vicenzo once held.

At the 2008 U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, “El Gato”—The Cat, so nicknamed for the way he stealthily stalked his opponents on the golf course, overcame a four-bogeys-in-four-holes streak on the back nine of the final round and still coasted to a four-shot victory over Fred Funk. When he finally made a par at the 15th hole to end the bogey streak, he pumped his fist as if he had won the tournament. It turned out he essentially had.

The victory was an exclamation point that Romero was good enough to beat anybody at any time and anywhere, regardless of his age. He had done it during his career in Latin America and then on the European Tour, and that win, coupled with his initial PGA TOUR Champions title at the JELD-WEN Tradition, merely served as extensions to what he had done in his career prior to turning 50.

Romero had been inactive as a competitor for some time as he battled illness, and he died February 13 in Argentina at age 67 after complications from cancer. Doctors sent Romero home from the hospital on February 5 after they told him his disease was terminal. Romero’s passing was confirmed by the Municipality of Villa Allende in Argentina on Sunday evening.

The son of a club pro, Romero won and won often in his home country, taking home 44 Argentine Tour titles, including the 1989 Argentine Open. His 44 career titles are second only to De Vicenzo among Argentine professionals. He was victorious in five other Argentina-based tournaments and also prevailed in tournaments in Chile and Mexico. Romero’s eight European Tour wins came during a 13-year span where he beat such luminaries as Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros, Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal. He won 67 total tournament titles prior to turning 50, and it only took Romero eight starts to pick up that first PGA TOUR Champions title, at the JELD-WEN Tradition.

“I realized at the age of nine that my life was going to revolve around golf. In my house my father was a golf professional, and several relatives were dedicated to this sport. I was never good at studying or at football,” said Romero in 2014. “I never thought I would make a living from golf. I didn’t think about how much I was going to win in a tournament. I just played because I loved golf. I loved to hit the ball, and I always went out to enjoy what I did.”

Romero held PGA TOUR membership for two seasons, originally earning his playing privileges by tying for 12th at the 1985 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In 1986, Romero played in 30 TOUR tournaments, and played in 15 more in 1995 after finishing second to Woody Austin at the 1994 Qualifying Tournament. Despite only enjoying two seasons as a TOUR member, he added 51 additional PGA TOUR starts, his best chance at winning coming in 1990 in Colorado, at The International. In the Modified Stableford System scoring event at Castle Pines Golf Club, Romero tied for second, with Steve Pate and Peter Senior, three points behind winner Davis Love III. His performance in Colorado was a harbinger of things to come in the Centennial State.

Prior to his victory in Colorado Springs, Romero, won the JELD-WEN Tradition, in the summer of 2006 outside Portland, Oregon. Romero finished regulation tied with Lonnie Nielsen then rolled in a two-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole for the first of his five PGA TOUR Champions titles. That win was also his first triumph in the United States and his first major championship. The U.S. Senior Open would be his second.

The majority of Romero’s PGA TOUR Champions action came between 2007 and 2012. He played 102 of his 125 total tournaments in that span.

“For that six-year period right after he turned 50, Eduardo’s talent was on full display. A generation after Roberto De Vicenzo played and starred on PGA TOUR Champions, Eduardo followed in his mentor’s footsteps, always proud of his heritage and showing what a great player he was in his own right,” said Miller Brady, PGA TOUR Champions President. “Beyond what he did on the golf course, though, was Eduardo’s humanity. He was a consummate professional, one of the kindest, most-generous players our Tour has seen. We send our condolences to Eduardo’s family, his wife, Adriana, and his daughter, Dolly. We will greatly miss him.”

Even with all his globetrotting, Argentina was never far from Romero’s mind, where he always maintained a home regardless of where he was playing. He represented his country 13 times in the World Cup, exceeded only by De Vicenzo’s 15 appearances. His most-memorable performance came when Buenos Aires Golf Club hosted the 2000 World Cup, with Romero teaming with Angel Cabrera, thrilling the local fans as they contended all week, battling the U.S. team of David Duval and Tiger Woods. The Americans eventually prevailed by three strokes, Argentina finishing second.

Said Romero after retiring from competition, “I think I’m satisfied with my career. If I had any debt, it was not winning a major in my time. I was close at the British Open, but at the end of the day everything happens for a reason. I did what I could, and I’m happy with what I achieved.”