Romero embraces his destiny

my week this time, says argentinian, as norman fails to keep momentum up in seniors

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Eduardo Romero’s love affair with the Senior Open Championship continued at Royal Troon yesterday as the Argentine took a share of the lead with America’s Bruce Vaughan.

Open hero Greg Norman was left in their wake as Romero, who finished runner-up in 2004 and 2006 and tied fourth last year, shot an opening three-under-par 68.

He joined Vaughan at the top of the leaderboard after the American shot eight birdies as well as a double and treble bogey in his incredible round. Defending champion Tom Watson is just two strokes behind after a birdie on the 16th hole in a flawless round of 70 but pre-tournament favourite Norman could not carry his momentum from the Open and returned a four-over-par 75.

Romero came into the Championship in fine form having won in New York on the Champions Tour.

He produced a huge 205-yard nine iron tee shot on the 16h hole to set up his third birdie of the day and then declared it would be his week, following his previous near misses.

Romero said: “O'Meara is here, Langer is here, Woosnam is here, Greg Norman is here, and I think it's more difficult than last year and a couple years ago. But I'm in good form.”

Vaughan picked up shots on the second and fourth but fell back to level par with a double bogey seven on the fifth. He then moved to three under par with three birdies in five holes before losing the lead again with a triple bogey seven on the 12th before returning with birdies on the 13th, 16th and the last.

Vaughan hails from Kansas, the same state as Tom Watson, and he admitted the three-time Senior Open champion is a hero back home.

Watson certainly played like he could create another piece of golfing history this weekend on the course where he won the Open in 1982.

American Craig Stadler aced Royal Troon’s famous 123-yard Postage Stamp eighth hole and won 123 bottles of wine – one for each yard after holing his pitching wedge tee shot in front of a packed gallery.

A record opening day attendance of 8,760 spectators watched the first round of the popular event.

The figure was boosted by the strongest field in the championship’s 22-year history as well as glorious sunshine.

It was up by 3,600 from 2007, when 5,160 people watched the first round at Muirfield.