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CHARLES SCHWAB CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

October 29, 2008

Eduardo Romero

SONOMA, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Eduardo, thanks for joining us. Had a couple weeks off now. You were back home, I assume. Maybe you've had a chance to play the course today. Maybe just what your thoughts were on the course?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Well, I take two weeks off because last week we had to go home for my foundation in Argentina. Everybody knows I have a foundation. I have 300 kids to my foundation to take a break for that. I'm there every day.
And I had to plan my prom very good. It was very nice event. We collected good money. $150,000 for Argentina, it's a lot of money, and everything was good.
Then I come back. And, well, I practiced yesterday 9 holes, and today played the Pro-Am. The course is magnificent. Very good condition. Better than last year. The greens are perfect. This course normally is very good. But I think this year is the best. The best yet.
THE MODERATOR: You got a chance to still be in the hunt for the Schwab Cup. Right now you're in fourth place, up 500, just a little over 500 points behind. And sixth on the money list right now.
EDUARDO ROMERO: Yeah, I'm thinking about it, I'm thinking about it both. You know, the order of merit, and the Charles Cup. Well, I think just I'm thinking of my game. I try the best all week this week also. I think the Charles Cup so far, so good. I'm playing fantastic. Was a fantastic year for me. And then just for me, it's another tournament. You know, I'm very relaxing. I rest two weeks, and I feel strong, I feel good.

Q. I followed you yesterday for the first couple of holes, and you were hitting the ball really very well. So could you rate your game right now for me? How do you feel coming in here in terms of how you're doing, and what you're able to do out here?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Yes, yesterday I came from Argentina after 18 hours. It was terrible. That's why I played a couple holes. But today I hit it much better, today. I'm hitting much better than yesterday, yeah, yeah. Yesterday, I hit it good. But today I hit it much better. I feel a little more strong. For tomorrow, I'm ready for tomorrow.
I'm going to sleep today, and then good. I feel power now. But yesterday, oh, terrible. But it's okay. It's normal when you're traveling 18 hours.
But, well, I'm ready. I'm ready. My body is working today. And I was playing with more concentration today than yesterday. I made couple of birdies today. I think it was four or five birdies today. But it's good. I feel good. I feel good.
I think it's good for this week. I think if you win this tournament, I think it would put the flowers on the cake, you know for this fantastic year. Then, if not, it's still a good year. For me, one of the best of my career, and I'll be very, very happy.
But you never know, you know. It's one week to go. I'll try my best this week, and then I come here to win the tournament and do whatever we do. It's nice, because I'm thinking this tournament about it all year long. For me, it's like no other tournament. I'll try my best tomorrow.

Q. What is the basis of your foundation? Is it based on golf or is it something else than a golf tournament to raise?
EDUARDO ROMERO: It comes from the kids poor people from Argentina. Without father, without mothers sometimes. Three years old between 11 years old. Without food, no school, no nothing. And they come to my foundation to teach them anything, you know. And then the more important thing is to come to my foundation to eat. They get food, you know, that's what they need.

Q. Is this something that you do all year round?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Exactly, exactly. We start with my ten year now with the foundation. But we started with 50 kids, now we have 300, probably next year we'll have 500, and then we'll buy a big house over there. And last year we started to teaching golf to the kids over there it's very good, it's very good.

Q. They're coming there for food and education. Do you have teachers?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Oh yes, of course, of course. I have every Friday the kids teaching golf, and other days a friend of mine is coming to for free to teach the kids. Then the doctors come in to see the kids.
We have just corporations, you know, a friend of mine his corporation moves my foundation over there. And we work with more than 25 people working on my foundation. That's for free, you know?

Q. How many kids again?
EDUARDO ROMERO: 300.

Q. Do you have a building?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Yeah, we bought a building two years ago.

Q. In Buenos Aires?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Yes, Buenos Aires. We probably need a bus. Buy a bus because the people come from Buenos Aires. And sometimes we don't have money for take them back or transportation. So we have to buy a bus for picking up the kids and all the poor houses, and then just bring them to my foundation.

Q. You've had this for how long?
EDUARDO ROMERO: For ten years.

Q. How do you find the children? Do people recommend it?
EDUARDO ROMERO: I put on my internet, and the people are coming, the kids coming touch me and say I need food. I need education, I need. And a friend of mine is just picking up all poor kids in my foundation.
But we're thinking just a big houses with bedrooms and for sleep there, but it's a dream. It's too early to say that. But I think a couple years more, kids come to sleep in my foundation, that's very good, you know. That's what we wish.

Q. But you have teachers there to teach them?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Oh, yeah, yeah. We teach them everything. Because some people come without shoes, without anything, you know, without love.
You know, because some kids come. The last one was 3 years old. It was two months ago. And then it was 2:00 o'clock in the night. I leave the kids at the door. And the foundation is open at 7:00 o'clock. And then when the guy's go to the open the door of my foundation see the kids sleep on the door. 3 years old. It was terrible.
Then, well, we pick him up, and stayed with us. We sleep there with the friend of mine. Then we're working hard. We're working hard with the kids. It's very good.

Q. What is your website?
EDUARDO ROMERO: My website is EduardoRomero.com. You can see my whole foundation there.

Q. Would you say the success that you're having on the Champions Tour has helped in any way?
EDUARDO ROMERO: You know what? I have a lot of sponsors, a lot of company in Argentina. They say congratulations, Eduardo, to you. If you need something, you have to tell me, yes. And we need money for buy anything, shoes, clothes, and food.
Now the companies close to me now, more than five years ago, after my victory's over here, and all the papers in Argentina and TV and magazines and it's very good, because the people call me. You need something? Yes. I need something for my foundation. And then now the foundation is up and up and up. It's very good.
Also Cabrera helped me a lot over there. And Tom Lehman also helped me. Yeah, Tom Lehman helped me.
Yeah, and a couple players more. You know, I had my prom over there for me for free. It's very good. Very, very good.

Q. (Indiscernible) any key holes today that you felt scoring?
EDUARDO ROMERO: I think it's a couple. The first nine the number 7, par 3. This is very, if you make, you can make double bogey easy. Easy, you can make double bogey on that hole par 3. 210, 215. Then I think that is the key. Also number 9 looks easy, but it's not. Especially the green. You know, just if you meet the green, it's difficult to make a chip and putt from there.
EDUARDO ROMERO: For me it was the best years of ours, you know. It was a good time to say Callaway. Callaway helped a lot for me. I use Callaway for more than ten years. But the technology from Callaway's better and better and better. It's hard to say thank you Callaway -- I have to say thank you Callaway. This year has been fantastic?

Q. Did you plan to play the American tour on the PGA?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Yes, I played, yes. '84 and '86, but '86 my father was with cancer. And I go to the school, second in the school. I finished second over there. And playing all year long. But my father was sick, I go back to America, and had a terrible year and lost the cut, and then back to Europe.
I never move, I'm still there in Europe I'm playing. But, well, it was my dream playing on the PGA TOUR over here. I played couple times.

Q. Why did you stay in Europe all this time?
EDUARDO ROMERO: I think because the course is similar to my course in Argentina. It's hard fairways, lean golf course. And I think it was because we played with more than ten guys from Spain that speak the same language, Argentinian, we sleep in the same hotel. We go to the restaurant all together, you know.

Q. A comfort zone?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Exactly. Exactly. I think it was the key was the friends. We were very friendly. Very, you know, working together. We went to the same hotel. The practice, we go to the practice. Sometimes he teaches me. You know.

Q. But you had your eye on coming to this senior tour?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Oh, yeah. When I was 50 years old. I said why are you going to go to the senior tour? Because I play good. I may want to stay on the regular tour in Europe.
Then when I was 48 years old I win the Scottish Open on the regular tour there. It was a big tournament, big tournament. And I feel strong. But one time I was 51, and I said, well, it's time to go back with the Senior Tour, you know. But it was.
My game, this year I'm going one time to Europe like the Swiss. Made the cut and I finished 21 or 19, but I played good. My game is still good. But I think it's time to be here. Now I'll be here full-time next year because it's my tour. I feel good.

Q. Do you have a home here in America?
EDUARDO ROMERO: No, probably next year. I'm thinking about it. Probably next year I'll buy a house over here. Next year I'll play full-time, all the tournaments.

Q. So when you're not playing here, do you go back to Argentina?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Yeah, I go back to Argentina because I don't have house here. And it's not far, for me, 9 hours, 10 hours is nothing, you know. I'm going to go to Europe for 14 hours, but go to Miami it's 7 hours, it's nothing.
Then I fly every Sunday night. Sunday night fly all night, and then Monday. Monday morning I'll be home. But I think it's too much now. This year I'm very tired. I'll probably buy a house next year in America.

Q. How many times did you go back there?
EDUARDO ROMERO: A lot. Especially after the U.S. Open before the U.S. Open and after the U.S. Open, one tournament in Argentina for one or two.
I think when my manager told me two weeks ago and said 75,000 miles in traveling so far this year. 70,000. That's a lot. That's long.

Q. Where were you based out of, Florida?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Over in Florida, yeah, Orlando.

Q. That's golf central?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Yeah.

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