Pampas power good for golf says Romero

Call it the South American way to golfing greatness if you like - just grip it and rip it.

Angel Cabrera's major wins at the 2007 US Open and this year's Masters have raised the profile of golf at home in Argentina and across the continent to new heights that mirror the sport's global spread into Asia.

And with others such as Camilo Villegas of Colombia coming through, other Latin American conquests look to be around the corner.

If it's Argentina - where traditional anglo-saxon sports like football, rugby and polo have all taken root - that has led the way in golf, it is not so much design as sheer natural talent that has been the driving force, according to one of the country's greatest-ever players, Eduardo Romero.

"I think all the Argentineans have this very similar swing ... 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, so natural," said the 54-year-old from Cordoba who qualified for this week's US Open here at Bethpage Black by winning last year's US Senior Open.

"You can see all the Argentineans playing around the world -- 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 most important thing for us is no change to the swing, Cabrera never touched the swing, never. Never.

When it comes to Cabrera, Romero should know what he is talking about as he was the one who took his fellow Cordoban under his wing at the tender age of 15 and financed his development from penniless caddie to multi-millionaire champion.

They notably played together in the World Cup when it was held for the first time on South American soil in Buenos Aires in 2000, giving eventual winners Tiger Woods and David Duval of the United States an exciting run for their money.

Nicknamed El Gato (The Cat) for Romero and El Pato (The Duck) for Cabrera, the pair helped popularize the sport in a country that previously only had eyes for football.

Thereafter, it was the younger man Cabrera who took over the lead role as Romero entered the seniors arena.

His win in the US Open at Oakmont two years ago and his stunning playoff triumph at this year's Masters have been the source of great pride for Romero.

"Ten years ago, golf in Argentina and South America was not like it is today," he said.

"When Angel Cabrera won the US Open in 2007, it had a great impact in South America. And then Argentina, all the people in Argentina are talking about golf right now.

"Golf now in Argentina I think is in second place now. Probably before it was fourth or fifth place before, 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 all over the country."

Romero is not doing too badly himself, winning the US Senior Open title last year as well as finishing runner-up at the British Senior Open and being named Champions Tour Rookie of the Year.

Tackling the brutish Bethpage course this week is another matter though.

"I like it, but it's too tough," he admitted.