No Bridge too far
Last updated: 3rd August 2007
He is good enough to win a major and bouncing back to win the Deutsche Bank was an incredible performance.
Mark Roe on Andres Romero, winner of the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Quotes of the week
Is bouncebackability a genuine word yet? I am using it here regardless because it applies to the extraordinary efforts of one golfer in an extraordinary fortnight in his life.
Andres Romero has been a good player for a while and anybody that has played with him knows the huge potential that he has. But I don't think that anyone expected him to bounce back so well from the disappointment of having a hand on the Claret Jug to only finish third at the Open Championship.
Really he threw the Championship away at the last two holes as he had a chance to become the second Argentinean to win a major this year. Perhaps only a lack of experience at that level denied him but he is good enough to win a major and bouncing back to win the Deutsche Bank was an incredible performance.
He reminded me of Bernhard Langer at Kiawah Island when he missed that putt at the Ryder Cup and he then went out the next week and won in Stuttgart at the German Masters.
That kind of mental strength is a great asset but with Romero it is also the free spirit that he has. It reflects in his personality and the way he plays the game - it is a bit Ballesteros.
He goes out there, smashes it 300 yards off every tee, goes for every flag and you barely ever see him leave a putt short. A perfect example of that is the three-putt he had to win on Sunday and he whacks it in from 40 feet.
He plays the game in his unique style and he is a refreshing spirit on the tour. With his talent he will be around for a long time and he is a true superstar. He is 125-1 to win the PGA Championship; I like those odds each way.
A date with Tiger
Romero's back in action this week and his extra reward for winning in Germany last week is a draw with Tiger Woods in the first round of the World Golf Championship Bridgestone Invitational.
This is an championship that Tiger has dominated as he has won five of the last eight events. He obviously loves the golf course at Firestone Country Club and the WGC events for Tiger are second to the majors.
They are rich in world rankings points and with only four majors per year in which to test himself against the best, Tiger sees them as a way of forcing his domination on the rest of the players. In his mind I am sure that he is thinking that if he doesn't win a major, he is damn well going to win a WGC event.
The other guy we get to see again this week is Padraig Harrington, for the first time since winning the Open. He is the sort of player that is so dedicated to the game that he will put the Open behind him and will just carry on now.
Some would keep celebrating for weeks and weeks, but he won't, he will get down to business as usual and all the Open will really do is heighten his confidence going into every major and WGC event.
He knows he can beat anybody now and I expect him to go on and climb up the world rankings from sixth, where he stands currently, to take over from Jim Furyk at number two.
Post to your View!
Be the first to post a comment on this story
Add Comment*
All fields are required