Norman far behind leaders after opener at Royal Troon

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Greg Norman bogeyed six of the first 10 holes on Thursday.

TROON, Scotland (AP) -- Four days after nearly making history at the British Open, Greg Norman labored to a 75 in Thursday's opening round at the Seniors British Open to be seven shots behind co-leaders Eduardo Romero and Bruce Vaughan.

The 53-year-old Norman led the Open at Royal Birkdale with nine holes to play Sunday and appeared on course to become the oldest winner of a major, but he eventually saw the title go to playing partner Padraig Harrington.

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Eduardo Romero made only one bogey in the opening round.

Owner of two Open titles, the last in 1993, Norman has yet to win a seniors title and is hoping his fourth-ever event in over-50s golf might make up for the hurt of Sunday's final round.

In sunny conditions at Troon, Norman bogeyed six of the first 10 holes and was 6 over before he finally picked up a shot at the par-4 13th. He made one more birdie at the last with a pitch to 3 feet.

"Things just weren't going my way early on," Norman said. "I just had to hang in there and guts it out the best I could. The ball just wasn't rolling my way. There's more than one round in a golf tournament.

"I got to the first tee and I never played this golf course in this wind before. I didn't feed that confident with some of the tee shots and I hit it into a couple of divot holes, which didn't make me feel good on the first few holes."

Romero, who lost a playoff to Loren Roberts in this championship two years ago at Turnberry, won the Dick's Sporting Goods Open at Endicott, New York, three weeks ago for his second seniors triumph.

Romero made one bogey in a 3-under 68, driving into a fairway bunker at the par-5 sixth hole and having to lay up.

"I feel strong, I feel good and I feel happy," said the Argentine, whose highlight was a 15-foot birdie putt at the 17th.

"I think this is my week. I love this tournament and I am in good form, especially my putting."

Vaughan, who made eight birdies, and Romero lead by one stroke over Andy Bean, John Cook and Kirk Hanefield of the United States and England's Nick Job.

Vaughan spoiled his opening round with a double-bogey 7 at the fifth after hacking out of the rough, and a triple-bogey at the 12th, where his bunker shot flew over the green and almost hit a spectator.

But he recovered to play the last six holes at 3-under par.

"It was either feast or famine," said Vaughan, a former Kansas firefighter who only took up golf at age 20 because his day job left him with time on his hands. "Outside of those two hockey sticks (7s), it was a good round."

Vaughan is only in his second season on the Champions Tour and said he would be delighted if his first tournament victory was on a links course used regularly for the Open.

"I love coming over here. I wouldn't want a steady diet of it, but it's great to come over here to play these kind of golf courses. I don't know how you could not come over here," said Vaughan, whose mother died in a car crash a month ago after watching him play in a tournament in Iowa.

"They are great courses and they are famous courses and you've got to think yourself around and plot yourself along. It's not like at home where you bomb it down there and knock it on the green. Here you just kind of dink it here and dink it there. It's fun."

While Norman struggled, playing partner Tom Watson made every green and missed only one fairway in a bogey-free 70.

"I don't think I have made all 18 greens ever in my life," said Watson, who has won three Senior British Opens to go with the five he collected before he turned 50. "I am very happy. I shot a good round of golf in unusual conditions with the wind changing direction."

Craig Stadler hit a hole-in-one at the "Postage Stamp" eighth hole -- the shortest in the history of the British Open -- winning 123 bottles of wine, one for every yard, as a prize from a sponsor.

The burly American, who won the 1982 Masters, used a pitching wedge to find the front of the green and the ball bounced twice before rolling in. It happened immediately after he birdied the seventh, but Stadler finished with a 74.