Eduardo Romero
Romero in 2008
Personal information
Full nameEduardo Alejandro Romero
NicknameEl Gato (The Cat)
Born(1954-07-17)17 July 1954
Córdoba, Argentina
Died13 February 2022(2022-02-13) (aged 67)
Villa Allende, Córdoba Province, Argentina
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight210 lb (95 kg; 15 st)
Sporting nationality Argentina
Spouse
Adriana
​
(m. 1978)​
Children1
Career
Turned professional1980
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
PGA Tour Champions
European Seniors Tour
Professional wins75
Highest ranking19 (7 July 1991)[1]
Number of wins by tour
European Tour8
PGA Tour Champions5
European Senior Tour3
Other60
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament39th: 2004
PGA ChampionshipT20: 1993
U.S. OpenT15: 2003
The Open ChampionshipT7: 1997
Achievements and awards
Champions Tour
Rookie of the Year		2006

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.[2]

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.[3][4]

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.[2]

Romero won more than eighty tournaments in Latin America.[2] 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").[2]

Death

Romero died on 13 February 2022, at the age of 67 at his home in Villa Allende, Córdoba Province, Argentina.[2][3][5][6] The Abierto del Centro, played on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica in April 2022, was renamed in memory of Romero.[7]

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 West Germany Bernhard Langer, Spain José María Olazábal
2 25 Mar 1990 Volvo Open di Firenze −23 (68-66-64-67=265) 1 stroke England Russell Claydon, Scotland Colin Montgomerie
3 12 May 1991 Peugeot Spanish Open −13 (68-63-72-72=275) Playoff Spain Seve Ballesteros
4 30 Jun 1991 Peugeot Open de France −7 (69-69-67-76=281) 2 strokes Spain José María Olazábal, Scotland Sam Torrance
5 22 May 1994 Tisettanta Italian Open −16 (69-67-69-67=272) 1 stroke New Zealand Greg Turner
6 4 Sep 1994 Canon European Masters −22 (64-68-66-68=266) 1 stroke Sweden Pierre Fulke
7 10 Sep 2000 Canon European Masters (2) −23 (64-68-62-67=261) 10 strokes Denmark Thomas Bjørn
8 14 Jul 2002 Barclays Scottish Open −11 (72-66-65-70=273) Playoff Sweden Freddie Jacobson

European Tour playoff record (2–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1991 Peugeot Spanish Open Spain Seve Ballesteros Won with birdie on seventh extra hole
2 2002 Barclays Scottish Open Sweden Freddie Jacobson Won with birdie on first extra hole
3 2002 Dunhill Links Championship Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington Lost to birdie on second extra hole

Argentine Tour wins (44)

This list is incomplete

Córdoba Tour wins (5)

Other wins (11)

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 United States Lonnie Nielsen
2 6 Jul 2008 Dick's Sporting Goods Open −17 (65-65-69=199) 1 stroke South Africa Fulton Allem, United States Gary Koch
3 3 Aug 2008 U.S. Senior Open −6 (67-69-65-73=274) 4 strokes United States Fred Funk
4 28 Sep 2008 SAS Championship −15 (68-67-66=201) 3 strokes United States Tom Kite
5 8 Mar 2009 Toshiba Classic −11 (66-68-68=202) 1 stroke United States Mark O'Meara, United States Joey Sindelar

Champions Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2006 The Senior British Open Championship United States Loren Roberts Lost to par on first extra hole
2 2006 JELD-WEN Tradition United States 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 Argentina Luis Carbonetti, England Nick Job
2 6 Aug 2006 Wentworth Senior Masters (2) −9 (71-66-70=207) 2 strokes Argentina Horacio Carbonetti, Scotland Sam Torrance
3 3 Aug 2008 U.S. Senior Open −6 (67-69-65-73=274) 4 strokes United States Fred Funk

European Seniors Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2006 The Senior British Open Championship United States Loren Roberts Lost to par on first extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament 1985 1986 1987 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 2005 2006 2007 2008 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
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament 2001 2002 2003
The Players Championship CUT CUT
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Match Play QF R32 R64
Championship T25 NT1 T36 T25
Invitational T47 T33

1Cancelled due to 9/11

  Top 10
  Did not play

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 United States Lonnie Nielsen
2008 U.S. Senior Open −6 (67-69-65-73=274) 4 strokes United States 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
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

this list in incomplete

See also

References

  1. ^ "Week 27 1991 Ending 7 Jul 1991" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Herrington, Ryan (14 February 2022). "Eduardo Romero, winner of more than 80 worldwide titles, dies at 67". Golf Digest. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b Livsey, Laury (14 February 2022). "Eduardo Romero, former U.S. Senior Open champion, dies at age 67". PGA Tour. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Eduardo Romero: 1954 – 2022". European Tour. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Murió a los 67 años el ex golfista Eduardo "Gato" Romero" [Former golfer Eduardo "Gato" Romero has died at the age of 67] (in Spanish). 13 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Argentine golfer Eduardo 'El Gato' Romero, who won eight titles on the European Tour, has died at 67". ESPN. Associated Press. 14 February 2022.
  7. ^ Villalobos, Gregory (30 March 2022). "Abierto del Centro returns in memory of local icon Eduardo Romero". PGA Tour. Retrieved 20 April 2022.

External links

Awards Preceded by Gabriela Sabatini Olimpia de Oro 1989 Succeeded by Pedro Décima
Eduardo Romero in the senior major championships
Authority control databases
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