COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For the second straight year, the Argentine village of Villa Allende gets to throw a party for a hometown hero who won a major golf tournament in the United States.

Eduardo “El Gato” Romero won the U.S. Senior Open on Sunday, beating Fred Funk by four strokes.

“This is very important, very important because we're working hard for golf in Argentina,” Romero said after the biggest win of his career, which includes nearly 100 victories across Europe and South America.

“I'm back to Argentina with this cup! It's mine!”

On Monday, Romero will fly to his home in the central province of Cordoba, the same city where his compatriots held a parade for 2007 U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera.

He joked that the president might be waiting for him in Villa Allende.

“Everybody is talking about golf. Everybody knows about golf. If you go to the pharmacy, the guy says, 'Eduardo, how you played?' It is unbelievable, it is a little village like St. Andrews. Everybody knows about golf, everybody,” Romero said.

“And the kids at the school, Cabrera and myself, we go there every Friday when we are there to teach golf in the school in our little village. And now we have more than 160 kids playing golf in our golf course.”

After carding a four-day total of 6-under 274, Romero got a congratulatory phone call from Roberto De Vicenzo, the godfather of golf in Argentina, who hoisted the same silver cup in 1980 and told him the country was already celebrating his triumph.

The 54-year-old Romero shot a 3-over 73 in the final round and, despite four straight bogeys on the back nine, he was never seriously challenged by Fred Funk (75), who finished four strokes back and was done in by a triple-bogey on No. 13.

“When Fred Funk made a triple-bogey, I said, 'Well, OK, I breathe a little bit,” Romero said.

Mark McNulty (68) finished in third, five shots back. Greg Norman shot a 70 and finished in fourth, his third straight top-5 finish.

Norman, the 53-year-old Australian who held the 54-hole lead at the British Open two weeks ago, is skipping the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills next week. His honeymoon with tennis great Chris Evert over, he said he needs to return to work as CEO of Great White Shark Enterprises.

Norman never found a rhythm in the Rockies and grumbled about the inconsistent greens and sometimes perilous pin placements.

“The golf course was just awkward,” he said. “It was just inconsistent.”

Making matters even worse for the Shark, the winner brought up Norman's infamous implosion at the 1996 Masters afterward when describing his emotions as he was in the throes of four consecutive bogeys on the back nine.

“I remember Greg Norman when he lost the Masters and he started to make bogeys and never stopped,” Romero said. “I said to my caddie, 'I have to make a putt, just one putt.'”

Unlike Norman 12 years ago, Romero recovered. He sank par putts on each of the last four holes.

“He did a good job of making those couple of pars there when he had to, and I just couldn't put the heat on him,” Funk said. “I gave him the lead (Saturday) and I really didn't give him anything to really have to think about, so it was an easy walk for him.”

Funk teed off two strokes behind Romero and never caught him. He saw his quest to become the fifth straight come-from-behind winner die on No. 13, where his 3-wood headed straight for the thigh-high grass on the left.

Instead of knocking it onto the fairway with a wedge or 9-iron, Funk tried to get more distance out of the shot with a 7-iron. But the ball traveled less than 20 yards and stayed in the rough.

“And from there was a debacle the rest of the way,” said Funk, who three-putted.