ESPN Golf

TURNBERRY, Scotland -- Loren Roberts had blown a five-stroke lead, and now he watched Eduardo Romero line up a 30-foot putt on the first playoff hole to win the Senior British Open.

Well short of the green in two, Roberts still had one thing going for him: his faith in his remarkable putting ability.

Roberts pitched to 12 feet, then Romero hit a poor first putt that left the Argentina star some 4 feet from the hole. Roberts made his putt and won the title when Romero missed.

"I made it more of a contest than I should have," said Roberts, who won the first three tournaments of the year on the Champions Tour.

"But the conditions were tough and I battled my swing today. But I never gave up and I have leaned on my putter for 25 years and I figured that as long as I could get a look at a par putt, I would have a chance. And I did."

The two players went to the playoff after they finished tied at 6-under 274 at Turnberry. Roberts shot a 75 in the final round and Romero had a 71.

Romero knew he had blown a chance for the victory.

"He made a good putt and I missed a short one. Sometimes golf's like this," he said. "When I saw Loren made a couple of mistakes early on the back nine, I said to myself that it's not finished yet. You never know what can happen, especially on a links course.

"It's a shame because I would love to win this tournament. I would love to win in Scotland."

Dick Mast finished third at 5-under 275 after a final-round 67. He almost joined the playoff but a 25-foot birdie putt at the last stayed on the edge.

Roberts' four-stroke overnight lead increased to five at the first when Romero found a greenside bunker with his second shot and missed an 8-foot putt to open with a bogey.

But Roberts bogeyed the third and there was a two-stroke swing at the fifth, where he ran through the green with his second shot and missed a 4-foot putt while Romero holed from 35 feet.

The Argentine cut the lead to one when he birdied the seventh and pulled level at 10 under at the 11th when he put his second shot 5 feet from the pin for another birdie.

Roberts responded with a birdie at 11 and, after both players dropped shots at the 12th with wayward drives, he moved two ahead when Romero missed a 6-foot putt at 13.

Roberts should have lost the lead at the par-4 14th when he sliced his second shot into the rough, failed to reach the green with his third and made a double-bogey. But Romero missed a 6-foot putt for his third bogey in a row to stay one behind with four to play.

Roberts' second shot at the 16th missed the green and landed in the deep rough. He hit his third only a few yards and still failed to reach the green and made his second double-bogey in three holes.

Although Romero also bogeyed for the fourth time in five holes, the two players went to the 17th tied at 6 under. At the last, Romero holed an 8-footer to force the playoff.

A 30-foot eagle putt at 17 put Mast within a stroke of the leaders at 5 under, but he couldn't convert on No. 18.

Defending champion Tom Watson, who was trying to win the title for the third time in four years, finished with a 74 and a four-round total of 288 for a share of 23rd.

Three-time champion Gary Player, 70, tied for 65th at 16-over 296.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press