Southern California's No. 1 Golf Source
 |
SITE
SEARCH
GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
Toshiba Classic
|
||||
 Eduardo Romero has won four of his last 10 Champions Tour starts (Photo: Mark Susson). The Argentine fired a three-under-par 68 in Sunday’s final round at the Toshiba Classic to post an 11-under total and win by a stroke over Joey Sindelar and local favorite Mark O’Meara. Dating back to last July, Romero has won four times in his last 10 Champions Tour starts, including a victory at the U.S. Senior Open Championship. He is not always mentioned in the same breath as senior stalwarts Bernhard Langer and Jay Haas, though a win at Newport Beach Country Club may signal more 2009 success for Romero — Haas and Langer, the last two Players of the Year, each captured the Toshiba. Romero employed a blend of power and finesse to win. He averaged 289 yards off the tee and averaged only 26.7 putts per round, tied for fourth in the field. “The putter [has] changed my life,” said Romero, who switched to a belly-style flatstick three years ago. “It’s [a] completely different game.” Starting the day a stroke behind co-leaders O’Meara and Langer, Romero quickly posted birdies on each of his first two holes to jump ahead. Bogeys on the sixth and ninth holes dropped him back to eight-under par, though. “I’m talking to my caddie after the [front] nine … and say, ‘We have to wake up. We can win the tournament, but not like this,’” Romero said. That self-imposed pep talk was just what he needed. Three straight birdies on hole nos. 10, 11 and 12 vaulted Romero into the lead, which he would not relinquish. O’Meara, trying to win his first senior event at a venue he played many times as an amateur golfer, was again solid from tee-to-green but didn’t convert enough putts to keep pace. The former Mission Viejo resident shot a one-under 70 to tie for second, his best Champions Tour showing since a second-place finish at the 2007 AT&T Championship. “I shot under par every round, and I’ll take a lot of positives out of this week,” O’Meara said. “The fans were great. They were really pulling for me out there, being a local guy. I can’t thank them enough. “We’ll just try and do a little better next time.” Langer, meanwhile, never could recover from a bogey-bogey start. His 73 left him in a tie for ninth. Joey Sindelar, who teed off an hour-and-a-half before the leaders, carded six birdies and an eagle on his way to a 63, tied for the lowest round of the week. He vaulted all the way from a tie to 24th into a tie for second. The Champions Tour now heads up the road to Valencia Country Club for the AT&T Champions Classic, which begins Friday, March 13. For complete scores, visit pgatour.com. |
||||
RSS Subscribe