Romero rekindles a Scottish love affair

ALWAYS inspired by the beauty of Scotland's most notable courses, Eduardo Romero, the winner of the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in 2002, yesterday secured a share of the first-round lead at the £1 million Senior Open with American Bruce Vaughan. "I have a lot of friends in Scotland," said the Argentine, "and enjoy coming here so much."

A winner on the Champions Tour in America earlier this summer, Romero birdied the par-3 17th to set the pace on 68, three under par. His 9-iron, which flew 210 yards to the green, was matched by a splendid putt from 12 feet.

Romero feels at home in Scotland and says Troon is one of his favourites. Seventh behind Justin Leonard at the 1997 Open here, the Argentine was also a runner-up in the Senior Open at nearby Turnberry in 2006. "I'm putting well and I feel good, strong and happy," he said. "I love this championship and I think this could be my week."

Vaughan, who lives in a small town in Kansas, also signed for 68, and hailed his fellow-Kansan, Tom Watson, on 70, as "the man". According to the 51-year-old former fire fighter who didn't take up golf until he was 20, Watson is as much of a legend in his own state as he is in Scotland, where he's won four Opens and three senior Opens.

"In Kansas, Tom is still the man," he smiled. "He only plays a few tournaments, he's got a bad hip and it looks like he can hardly walk. But he can still play."

Vaughan has never played with Watson, which is hardly surprising since the man from Hutchinson never finished higher than 22nd in any PGA Tour event.

He did, however, play in a couple of Opens and is another American who relishes the intricacies of the links game, in spite of twice carding 7s, a double- bogey on the sixth and triple on the 12th, where he thinned a bunker shot over the back of the green.

"It was either feast or famine," Vaughan said. "Outside of those two hockey sticks (7s) it was a good round."

Vaughan is only in his second season on the Champions Tour and said he would be delighted if his first tournament victory was on a links course used regularly for the Open.

"I love coming over here. I wouldn't want a steady diet of it, but it's great to come over here to play these kind of golf courses. I don't know how you could not come over here," said Vaughan, whose mother died in a car crash a month ago after watching him play in a tournament in Iowa.

"They are great courses and they are famous courses and you've got to think yourself around and plot yourself along. It's not like at home where you bomb it down there and knock it on the green. Here you just kind of dink it here and dink it there. It's fun."

Behind Vaughan and Romero, John Cook, who was runner-up to Nick Faldo in the Open at Muirfield, and Kirk Hanefield, a former American club pro, share third spot on 69 with Andy Bean, the dark horse tipped by Watson. Among other notables, Bernhard Langer returned 70.

The shot of the day came from Craig Stadler on the Postage Stamp, where he aced the famous par 3 with a pitching wedge from 123 yards.

He was rewarded with 123 bottles of wine for his trouble, one for each yard. "I'll have a little shiraz this evening," grinned the Walrus.

The burly American, who won the 1982 Masters, saw the ball bounce twice before rolling in. It happened immediately after he birdied the seventh, but Stadler finished with a 74. The best showing from an amateur came from John Fraser, a leading shinty player as a young man, who carded 72, the same mark as Ross Drummond, who teed up in his first Senior Open, and one better than Sam Torrance, who eagled the 16th for 73. "I'm still in there fighting," said Torrance.

The winner of seven Camanachd Cup winners' medals for Newtonmore in the Seventies and Eighties, Fraser, 56, is now a senior Scottish golf internationalist who will represent his country at the European Championships in Ireland next month. A life member of the Newtonmore club, the former shinty man is also a member at the Burgess in Edinburgh, where he plays off scratch.

"Shinty was my main sport when I was younger but I managed to keep my golf swing and I work harder on my short game now when I find the time," he said.

Fraser was out in 38 before making an impressive 3 on the 11th, the Railway, where out of bounds lurk on the right and gorse lines the left side of the fairway, thanks to a solid tee shot, expert 7-iron to the green and 15 foot putt. Drummond, also on 72, partnered Gary Player and Isao Aoki. While pleasantries were exchanged with the great men, the Scot conceded his Japanese was rusty.

Garry Harvey, who engraved Padraig Harrington's name on the Claret Jug at Birkdale on Sunday, was the beneficiary of a late spot in the field at Troon after Craig Maltman withdrew.

Harvey carded 83 and can rest easy he won't need to engrave his own name on the senior Claret Jug.