Exclusive: Q&A with de Vicenzo and Romero
Following Angel Cabrera's victory in the U.S. Open on Sunday, Argentineans Roberto de Vicenzo and Eduardo Romero spoke to PGATOUR.com from Argentina about the impact of Romero's thrilling victory at Oakmont.
Eduardo Romero:
PGATOUR.com: Angel Cabrera's victory on Sunday was obviously a big moment for Argentina. Can you describe what's happening down there right now?
Eduardo Romero: It's been incredible. He's coming into the airport this afternoon. There are more than 500 people waiting for him at the airport now. The governor from Cordoba is waiting here with a full motorcade back into town for the celebration. The president of Argentina has also sent his people there. He's a hero. You can't imagine the amount of people waiting for him.
PGATOUR.com: I take it everyone is going to have a big party soon.
Romero: There are 35,000 people that live in the village and everything is closed today. The schools, restaurants and shops are all closed today. Everyone is waiting for Cabrera to arrive. The caravan of over 100 cars will go from the airport to the golf course in Cordoba. There will be a big party this afternoon. Tomorrow, over 150 caddies at the club will throw another party for him. He was a caddie like me. It's unbelievable. The biggest newspaper in the area has given him seven pages of coverage. Everybody's talking about Cabrera and the golf. It's incredible. It's been 40 years ago that Roberto DeVicenzo won his major.
PGATOUR.com: You helped launch Angel's professional career. Is that right?
Romero: Yes. I remember when he was younger he was not happy. His people were very poor. It was very difficult for him to find food every day. He had to work as a caddie. It was very hard.
PGATOUR.com: When he was younger, what led you to believe he could become a successful golf professional?
Romero: He was a very competitive character and on the course, he was a very aggressive player. One day, I was speaking with a friend of mine and he asked me when we were going to sponsor him. We both saw something special in him. We knew his entire family and the situation they were in. We convinced ourselves that he was worth taking a chance on. We saw something different in this guy than the other guys.
PGATOUR.com: Have you spoken with him since he won at Oakmont?
Romero: Yes. I called his phone shortly after he finished his round on Sunday to congratulate him. He was happy to hear from me but was still very nervous because he hadn't won yet. I told him to take it easy because even though Tiger was still on the golf course, it was very difficult for anyone to birdie the last hole.
PGATOUR.com: Do you think this will boost golf in Argentina?
Romero: I really do. It's been fantastic. All of Argentina is talking about Angel. We have a number of good players now like (Jose) Coceres, myself and (Ricardo) Gonzales. Golf is growing in popularity in our country but we needed something special like this. The dream is coming true.
Roberto DeVicenzo
PGATOUR.com: Roberto, thank you for taking my call. I'd like to ask you a few questions about Angel Cabrera's win yesterday at Oakmont.
Roberto de Vicenzo: I think it was fantastic that Cabrera was able to win the Open Championship in America. The U.S. Open is very difficult to win, especially for a fellow from South America.
PGATOUR.com: Did you watch at the club or at home?
de Vicenzo: No. I was watching at home every day.
PGATOUR.com: It had to be an exciting moment for the country of Argentina. Was that true?
de Vicenzo: It was very good for our country. He beat the best players in the world, including Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk.
PGATOUR.com: What has been the reaction there in Argentina to Cabrera's victory yesterday?
de Vicenzo: It's been fantastic. Cabrera is now a hero in Argentina. He's my hero! I'm 84 years old. I'm very happy for him because I didn't want to leave this world before I saw something like this.
PGATOUR.com: How well do you know him?
de Vicenzo: Not very well. We've talked several times over the years but I don't see him regularly. He lives too far from my home. He's also a young fellow. I'm 84 and he's 37. I don't see him much because usually he's either in Europe or the United States playing.
PGATOUR.com: Can you compare your win with his victory yesterday?
de Vicenzo: The biggest difference is that when he won the U.S. Open yesterday, many more people saw it on television. When I won the British Open 40 years ago, not as many saw it. Millions saw Cabrera win. The golf courses were also different. Oakmont is a fantastic golf course and very difficult. It's not so easy to make a good score there.