Romero captures Senior Open title

He struggled some in the final round, but was never seriously challenged.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The 29th U.S. Senior Open will be remembered for the black bears that menaced The Broadmoor’s East Course — and the one cat who conquered it.

Eduardo “El Gato” Romero on Sunday became the second Argentine golfer to hoist the silver cup, 28 years after Roberto De Vicenzo won the trophy at Winged Foot.

“This is very important, very important because we’re working hard for golf in Argentina,” Romero said after the biggest win of his career. “I’m back to Argentina with this cup! It’s mine!”

The 54-year-old Romero shot a 3-over 73 in the final round and, despite four straight bogeys on the back nine, he was never seriously challenged by Fred Funk (75), who finished four strokes back.

Romero, who finished at 6-under 274 and won $470,000, pumped his right fist and spun around in excitement after sinking a 45-footer for birdie on No. 10, but his emotions quickly turned as he bogeyed the next four holes.

At that point, Romero said he began to think back to another infamous implosion.

“I remember Greg Norman when he lost the [1996] Masters and he started to make bogeys and never stopped,” Romero said. “I said to my caddie, ‘I have to make a putt, just one putt.’ ”

He got what he needed on No. 15.

But it was two holes earlier that he began to exhale.

Despite bogeying the par-4 13th, Romero walked off the green having picked up two strokes on Funk, whose triple-bogey doubled his deficit to four shots.

Funk predicted Saturday he’d have to make his move on the front nine and then just hold on. He did neither, failing to cut into the deficit and then watching his quest to become the fifth straight come-from-behind winner die on 13, where his 3-wood headed straight for the thigh-high grass on the left.

Instead of knocking it onto the fairway with a wedge or 9-iron, Funk tried to get more distance out of the shot with a 7-iron.

“I thought I would maybe have a better shot at maybe getting up and down and getting, at worst, a 5 out of it,” Funk said. “I thought wrong.”

The ball traveled less than 20 yards and stayed in the rough.

“And from there was a debacle the rest of the way,” said Funk, who three-putted.

Mark McNulty (68) finished in third, five shots back. Norman shot a 70 and finished in fourth, his third straight top-5 finish.