TURNBERRY, Scotland -- Loren Roberts squandered a five-stroke lead, then won a sudden death playoff over Eduardo Romero to capture the Senior British Open on Sunday.

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.

They returned to the 18th tee for the playoff and, with Roberts needing three shots to reach the green, Romero, who made it in two, appeared to be in position to win the title. But he misread his 30-foot putt and left the ball 5 feet from the hole.

Roberts holed a 12-footer for par and that put the pressure back on Romero. With the spectators expected the players to return to the 18th tee, he missed his short putt for a bogey to hand the title to the American.

"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."

For Romero, it was a case of an expected chance of victory that slipped away with a missed putt.

"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 then missed an eight-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 then missed a four-foot putt while Romero holed from 35 feet.

The Argentine then 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 to five feet from the pin for another birdie putt.

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 six-foot putt at 13.

The win is Loren Roberts' fourth of the season. (Getty Images)

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

Roberts had a disaster at the 16th when his second shot missed the green and landed in the deep rough. He mishit 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 hole in five, the two players went to the 17th tied at 6 under. At the last, Romero holed an eight footer to make sure they went to the playoff.

A 30-foot eagle putt at 17 put Mast within a stroke of the leaders at 5 under and a 25-footer at the last for birdie stayed on the edge instead of dropping in.

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, now age 70, tied for 65th at 16-over 296.

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