# Eduardo Romero

Eduardo Alejandro Romero (17 July 1954 – 13 February 2022) was an Argentine professional golfer. Nicknamed "El Gato" ("The Cat"), he won over 80 professional tournaments around the world, including eight on the European Tour and five on the Champions Tour, with two senior majors; he also won over 50 times in South America and was a member of the Argentine team at the World Cup on 14 occasions.

## Early life

Romero was born in Córdoba to a family of modest means.

## Professional career

Romero turned professional in 1982. He played extensively in Latin America on the Tour de las Americas and its predecessor the "South American Tour", but his international profile is mainly based on his success on the more prestigious European Tour and in senior golf in the United States and Europe. He reached the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
He first played on the European Tour in 1985 and was a full member from 1988 to 2005. He had 8 tournament victories and seven top twenty placings on the Order of Merit. In 2002 he became the third oldest winner on the European Tour (behind Des Smyth and Neil Coles) when he won the Scottish Open just three days before his 48th birthday. Romero came fifth on the Order of Merit for 2002. Romero turned fifty in 2004, and just a few days later he finished in a tie for second at his first senior tournament, the Senior British Open. In 2005 he won his first senior title at the European Seniors Tour's Travis Perkins Senior Masters, and he won the Wentworth Senior Masters in both 2005 and 2006. In 2006, he lost in a playoff against Loren Roberts for the Senior British Open Championship and won a playoff against Lonnie Nielsen for the JELD-WEN Tradition for his first Champions Tour win and major. He was the Champions Tour's 2006 Rookie of the Year. He won the U.S. Senior Open, his second major, at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs in 2008.
Romero won more than eighty tournaments in Latin America. He represented Argentina in the World Cup and the Alfred Dunhill Cup numerous times, and he participated in the UBS Cup in 2002 and 2003. He also appeared on The Golf Channel's The Big Break series.
Romero's nickname was "El Gato" ("The Cat").

## Death

Romero died on 13 February 2022, at the age of 67 at his home in Villa Allende, Córdoba Province, Argentina. The Abierto del Centro, played on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica in April 2022, was renamed in memory of Romero.

## Professional wins (75)
### European Tour wins (8)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 17 Sep 1989 | Trophée Lancôme | −22 (69-65-66-66=266) | 1 stroke | Bernhard Langer, José María Olazábal |
| 2 | 25 Mar 1990 | Volvo Open di Firenze | −23 (68-66-64-67=265) | 1 stroke | Russell Claydon, Colin Montgomerie |
| 3 | 12 May 1991 | Peugeot Spanish Open | −13 (68-63-72-72=275) | Playoff | Seve Ballesteros |
| 4 | 30 Jun 1991 | Peugeot Open de France | −7 (69-69-67-76=281) | 2 strokes | José María Olazábal, Sam Torrance |
| 5 | 22 May 1994 | Tisettanta Italian Open | −16 (69-67-69-67=272) | 1 stroke | Greg Turner |
| 6 | 4 Sep 1994 | Canon European Masters | −22 (64-68-66-68=266) | 1 stroke | Pierre Fulke |
| 7 | 10 Sep 2000 | Canon European Masters (2) | −23 (64-68-62-67=261) | 10 strokes | Thomas Bjørn |
| 8 | 14 Jul 2002 | Barclays Scottish Open | −11 (72-66-65-70=273) | Playoff | Freddie Jacobson |
European Tour playoff record (2–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1991 | Peugeot Spanish Open | Seve Ballesteros | Won with birdie on seventh extra hole |
| 2 | 2002 | Barclays Scottish Open | Freddie Jacobson | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2002 | Dunhill Links Championship | Pádraig Harrington | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |

### Argentine Tour wins (44)

    This list is incomplete
* 1983 (3) Argentine PGA Championship, La Cumbre Open, Highland Grand Prix
* 1984 (8) Carilo Open, Abierto del Litoral, La Cumbre Open, Center Open, San Martin Grand Prix, Chaco Open, Ituzaingo Grand Prix, Jockey Club Rosario Open
* 1986 (1) Argentine PGA Championship
* 1987 (4) Sevel Grand Prix, North Open, Los Cardales Grand Prix, American Express Grand Prix
* 1988 (4) South Open, Punta del Este Open (Uruguay), Center Open, Norpatagonico Open
* 1989 (3) Argentine Open, Sevel Grand Prix, Los Lagartos Grand Prix
* 1990 (2) Argentine PGA Championship, Center Open
* 1991 (3) Acantilados Grand Prix, Center Open, North Open (tie with Adan Sowa)
* 1992 (3) Argentine PGA Championship, South Open, North Open
* 1993 (1) Argentine PGA Championship
* 1994 (1) North Open
* 1995 (2) Punta del Este Open (Uruguay), Center Open
* 1996 (2) Argentine PGA Championship, Center Open
* 1997 (2) Argentine PGA Championship, Las Delicias Open
* 1998 (2) Acantilados Grand Prix, North Open
* 1999 (3) Argentine PGA Championship, Center Open, La Cumbre Open

### Córdoba Tour wins (5)

* 1982 (4) Center Cuyo Tournament, Bell Ville Tournament, Córdoba PGA Championship, La Cumbre Tournament
* 1984 (1) Bell Ville Tournament

### Other wins (11)

* 1980 Argentine Caddie's Tournament
* 1984 Chile Open
* 1987 Sierra de la Ventana Tournament (Arg), South American team (Arg), Prince of Wales Open (Chile), Santo Domingo Open (Chile), Sports Frances Open (Chile)
* 1997 Las Brisas Open (Chile)
* 1998 Mexican Open, Las Brisas Open (Chile)
* 2000 Desafio de Maestros (Arg)

### Champions Tour wins (5)

* Legend
* Champions Tour major championships (2)
* Other Champions Tour (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 27 Aug 2006 | JELD-WEN Tradition | −13 (72-70-68-65=275) | Playoff | Lonnie Nielsen |
| 2 | 6 Jul 2008 | Dick's Sporting Goods Open | −17 (65-65-69=199) | 1 stroke | Fulton Allem, Gary Koch |
| 3 | 3 Aug 2008 | U.S. Senior Open | −6 (67-69-65-73=274) | 4 strokes | Fred Funk |
| 4 | 28 Sep 2008 | SAS Championship | −15 (68-67-66=201) | 3 strokes | Tom Kite |
| 5 | 8 Mar 2009 | Toshiba Classic | −11 (66-68-68=202) | 1 stroke | Mark O'Meara, Joey Sindelar |
Champions Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 2006 | The Senior British Open Championship | Loren Roberts | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2006 | JELD-WEN Tradition | Lonnie Nielsen | Won with birdie on first extra hole |

### European Seniors Tour wins (3)

* Legend
* Senior major championships (1)
* Other European Seniors Tour (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 21 Aug 2005 | Travis Perkins Senior Masters | −11 (70-67-68=205) | 8 strokes | Luis Carbonetti, Nick Job |
| 2 | 6 Aug 2006 | Wentworth Senior Masters (2) | −9 (71-66-70=207) | 2 strokes | Horacio Carbonetti, Sam Torrance |
| 3 | 3 Aug 2008 | U.S. Senior Open | −6 (67-69-65-73=274) | 4 strokes | Fred Funk |
European Seniors Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 2006 | The Senior British Open Championship | Loren Roberts | Lost to par on first extra hole |

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1985 | 1988 | 1989 |
| Masters Tournament | | | |
| U.S. Open | | | |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T13 | T8 |
| PGA Championship | | | |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
| Masters Tournament | | | | | | | | | | |
| U.S. Open | | | CUT | | | T51 | | | T25 | |
| The Open Championship | T53 | T26 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T88 | T33 | T7 | T57 | |
| PGA Championship | CUT | T52 | CUT | T20 | | | | T41 | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2009 |
| Masters Tournament | | CUT | | CUT | 39 | |
| U.S. Open | | 51 | | T15 | CUT | CUT |
| The Open Championship | 35 | T25 | CUT | CUT | CUT | |
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | CUT | T61 | T55 | |
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" = tied

### Summary

| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 10 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 39 | 20 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1995 U.S. Open – 1998 Open Championship)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)

## Results in The Players Championship

| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| The Players Championship | CUT | | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut

## Results in World Golf Championships

| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Match Play | QF | | | | R32 | R64 |
| Championship | | T25 | NT$^1$ | T36 | T25 | |
| Invitational | | | | T47 | T33 | |
$^1$Cancelled due to 9/11
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play "T" = Tied NT = No tournament

## Champions Tour major championships
### Wins (2)

| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
| 2006 | JELD-WEN Tradition | −13 (72-70-68-65=275) | Playoff | Lonnie Nielsen |
| 2008 | U.S. Senior Open | −6 (67-69-65-73=274) | 4 strokes | Fred Funk |

### Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2016.
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| The Tradition | | | 1 | T14 | T18 | T11 | T18 | T5 | T38 | | | | |
| Senior PGA Championship | – | | T31 | 2 | T16 | T14 | T18 | T5 | CUT | CUT | | | |
| Senior Players Championship | – | | | T7 | T7 | T31 | T33 | T40 | T71 | | | | |
| Senior British Open Championship | T2 | T9 | 2 | T4 | 3 | T38 | T18 | T49 | T40 | T48 | CUT | | |
| U.S. Senior Open | | | | T22 | 1 | T19 | T28 | CUT | CUT | T61 | | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place

## Team appearances

this list in incomplete
* World Cup (representing Argentina): 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
* Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Argentina): 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000
* UBS Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 2002, 2003 (tie)