Romero rolls back the years at French Open

Eduardo Romero looks like threatening Des Smyth's record as the oldest winner in European Tour history as he produced a dazzling second round in the French Open at Le Golf National near Paris today.

Six behind Jean Van de Velde after an opening 70, 50-year-old Romero went to the turn in a six- under-par 29 and then added three more birdies coming home for a nine-under course record 62.

It was very nearly even better as his long birdie putt on the par-five ninth, his last, hit the back of the hole but jumped out.

But he was content enough with a 10-under-par halfway total which gave him an early two-stroke lead over Dane Soren Hansen.

The Argentinian was among the 76 players who had to complete a first round halted by a thunderstorm in mid-afternoon yesterday.

The oldest winner on tour was Ireland’s Des Smyth, 48 years and 34 days when he lifted the Madeira Island Open title in 2001.

Romero was just short of his 48th birthday when he won the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond three years ago and has continued to play the main circuit even though he is now eligible for seniors golf.

He was runner-up to Barry Lane in last season’s British Masters and third behind Luke Donald in the European Masters, but in six previous starts this year he missed the halfway cut in five and finished 49th in the other.

He is 248th on the Order of Merit with just €8,000. First prize on Sunday is more than €500,000.

Because of the stoppage on the first day – there was no play after 3.30pm - Van de Velde is not resuming until after 3pm.

Hansen went two ahead when he birdied the 12th, 13th and 14th, but he then pushed his approach to the 15th into the lake and double-bogeyed.

Welshman Bradley Dredge reached six under, but then dropped six strokes in four holes. After bogeys at the 16th and 17th he ran up a quadruple-bogey eight at the 380-yard first.