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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 17, 2009

Eduardo Romero

FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK

BETH MURRISON: Good morning from the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage. We're very happy to have with us this morning Eduardo Romero, who is the reigning U.S. Senior Open Champion after a very nice win last year. He's playing in his seventh U.S. Open this week but his first at Bethpage. He did not play in 2002.
Could you give us some of your thoughts about the golf course. I know you played a practice round yesterday.
EDUARDO ROMERO: Yes. Good morning. And when I practiced yesterday, the first time then I saw one of the more difficult golf courses in my life playing, probably because the rain. The fairway is very soft.
It's unbelievable. I like it. It's a fantastic golf course, but I think it's too tough; but it's tough for everybody. But fantastic.
And I played yesterday with my friend Cabrera and Andres Romero, and it's very good. The golfing is the same for everybody. We have to put the ball in the fairway. It's the key. If you go into the rough, it's impossible to make, rip the green from there and I'm happy for being here.
I am very happy for being here. And then my game is good. Good. I'm very excited for playing this tournament. Still yesterday I talked with the journalist and say I'm going to start to enjoy this last Sunday when I take the flight from Argentina for the plane here, because it's a big honor for me playing this event with a tremendous field and I'm a very happy man.
BETH MURRISON: Could you talk a little bit about playing in front of the crowds of New York? The spectators, there will be so many, and they're extremely vocal and supportive, did you find any of that yesterday?
EDUARDO ROMERO: It was fantastic. Fantastic. I think -- I don't know how many people yesterday it was, but I think it's nearly 25,000 people. And then I called my house, Argentina last night, and my family watching over there: "The tournament started yet? It was a practice round?"
"No, it's a practice round." I saw a lot of people on the golf course and it's really fantastic, the people over here, and all-American. But I think they have special fans and kids. I saw a lot of kids yesterday. It's beautiful. It's very nice.

Q. Back in 2002, Bruce Fleischer was the Senior Open Champion, came here to play a practice round and decided the course was too tough for him and withdrew. He didn't play. In fact, he played in the Senior event that week and won it. It doesn't seem like you would even consider not playing this week; is that right?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Yeah, probably. Probably. I'll tell you, yesterday I played from the back tees. You know, many par-4 I hit a driver and 3-wood, driver on 2-irons all day yesterday. But it's okay. I'm hitting it good yesterday, and then my game is fantastic. I'm still hitting it straight and hit it good and good confidence, very relaxing. And then I'm very happy with the golf course. It's tough. Very tough.

Q. Would it ever enter your mind not to play, that the course was too tough?
EDUARDO ROMERO: No, no?

Q. Say too tough for me?
EDUARDO ROMERO: No, I like it. It's too tough but I like playing it. I love it, yeah.

Q. You played with Angel the last couple of days. You obviously were a big influence in his career. Can you talk about what his success, the Open a couple of years ago, the Masters this year, your success, Andres Romero's success and what it's meant to Argentina?
EDUARDO ROMERO: The golfing in Argentina and South America after 10 years, 10 years before the golf in Argentina and South America is not like today, for example. But Angel Cabrera won the U.S. Open in 2007; it was a great impact in South America. And then Argentina, all the people in Argentina talking about golf right now.
And then only in Buenos Aires, we have 135 golf courses right now only in Buenos Aires, 15 million people live in Buenos Aires. But the golf now in Argentina I think is in the second place. Probably before it was fourth or fifth place, but now it's very important game in Argentina.
And then we have to say thank you to Cabrera, because it's after the Masters tournament the people are still celebrating over there.
It was amazing, fantastic. You can see Cabrera pictures in all over the country. Go to the countries Cabrera picture is in the street. Very good. For the sport in Argentina, it's very, very important. It's a great impact.

Q. To sort of follow up along the same lines as Scott's question, Angel has won two majors in relatively short order. Plus he's the only guy obviously in the field with the chance at a Slam. Does it surprise you that he seems to be flying, even after winning two majors in two years he seems to be still flying a bit under the radar; does that surprise you at all?
EDUARDO ROMERO: No, no, no surprise for me, because Angel Cabrera when he starts to play golf it was a lot of talent. Unbelievable. And then before I have a little history about the Masters. Cabrera, I practiced with Cabrera a week before the Masters and say I don't think I'm playing the Masters. I say why? Because my game is not very good and I'm feeling bad. I feel my putting is terrible.
I say you have to go. The golf, you never know what happened. Sometimes one day you go to the golf course and the windows open and you can see very clear.
Maybe, I don't know. Come on, come on. Okay. I'm thinking about it. And then we come and won the Masters. Finish the tournament, the day after that he called me. What did I tell you? "Okay, thank you very much," he said to me.
But sometimes he needed somebody to push him. But he's a good player. Big talent. And so yesterday unbelievable. He's a favorite. Cabrera is one of the favorite players now.

Q. At Oakmont, Angel hit driver off every tee. Is he hitting a lot of drivers out here?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Yeah, I think so. But he hit the driver fantastic yesterday. He changed something in the swing. Now the driver is very straight and long. But in the practice day, everybody hit a driver from the tee. When the tournament comes, it's completely different. It's probably use a 3, use 2-iron some holes. But very clever player. I don't think he use a driver in many holes.

Q. You spoke earlier about the fans out here and the crowds even for practice rounds. Maybe if you're not from around here, but I don't think people maybe don't realize there's a very large Latin population, especially in this area of Long Island. Are you seeing a lot of Latin fans out there? Are you hearing a lot of Spanish when you're out there on the course. How much nicer is that when the game is expanding to a new audience you hear your language, you hear your native language here from out beyond the ropes?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Yeah, yesterday was fantastic. A lot of Spanish people: "Come on, Gato, let's go, Gato." I can see a few words in Spanish, but it's very good. So saw a lot of Spanish speakers on the golf course.
And then a lot of Mexican. A lot of Argentinean with the Argentinean flag. Of course for Cabrera is because Cabrera is one of the favorites this week. But it's very nice. It's very nice. Really enjoyed yesterday, yeah.

Q. Again, you mentioned how big Cabrera, you see his face down there in Argentina. How would he compare with, like, say, the great soccer stars, Maradona or Davisons or anything like that in terms of sports icons in your country?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Well, Cabrera is now very famous, very, very famous. I'll tell you, golf, we now have the Golf Channel in Argentina, we can see golf 24 hours a day. This is fantastic.
And then tournament from the European Tour, or Nationwide or Champions Tour or PGA TOUR, very nice. A lot of people follow golf now in Argentina. The golf is very important now in Argentina.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about how yourself, Cabrera, even Roberto DiVincenzo beautiful, natural swings, not a lot of technical thoughts necessarily. Can you talk about how that's really a strength maybe, natural simple swings?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Yeah. I think all the Argentinean have this very similar swing, everybody has, because we're taught to play golf with no teacher when we were younger, just take the club and hit the ball, that's all.
And then it's so natural. You can see Roberto, Andres and all the Argentineans playing around the world just -- for example, me I never had a teacher, only my father teach me when I was 10 years old.
But I think it's natural because when we were children you have the plug and make a swing, that's all but never change.
The more important thing for us is no change to swing, Cabrera never touched the swing, never. Never.

Q. Were you ever tempted to change your swing? You said hey, this works; so many players mess their swings up by changing it.
EDUARDO ROMERO: All of the players in Argentina follow Roberto DiVincenzo, everybody follow his swing, his personality. But Roberto has a very nice natural swing we try to follow Roberto all the time. Not just me and Cabrera, everybody. It's an example for us, Roberto, in Argentina.

Q. Would you have tried to qualify for this Open if not automatically qualified with your title?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Oh, yes. When you win the Senior U.S. Open you can immediately?

Q. Yeah, without that title, without being a major at the Seniors, would you have tried to qualify.
EDUARDO ROMERO: No, I don't think so, I don't think so, no.

Q. You gave Angel his nickname Pato; duck?
EDUARDO ROMERO: No, in Argentina everyone has a nickname. Gato, Andres is Pigu. Angel is Pato and everybody in Argentina has a nickname. Soccer players, too, Mascherano, everybody has one.

Q. You didn't give him Pato?
EDUARDO ROMERO: No, no. Probably his friend or family, normally come from his family.

Q. Do you think he walks like a duck?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Oh, yes, of course. Walking like a duck. (Laughter)

Q. For you watching the Masters and seeing him in contention and then end up winning that playoff, what was it like for you to see that?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Well, it was fantastic. We stayed with friends in a house, it was more than 50 friends watching over there. When Cabrera missed the driver in 72 holes, everybody go outside and smoke cigar and then come back.
Hit the tree and go to the fairways. Okay. Okay. We say wait, wait. It's not finished yet.
When he make a putt, they say Cabrera won the match. I tell you, this part is the tournament. It's true. I think that part was the tournament, yeah. Fantastic. Very exciting. I have a picture probably in my room I have a picture from the people in the village. Unbelievable. Go to the street with cars and sirens and police and it was amazing, it was very nice.

Q. Is that in Cordoba?
EDUARDO ROMERO: Where we live is Cordoba. It's a village 33,000 people live there.
BETH MURRISON: Thank you so much.

End of FastScripts

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