Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo cracked a PGA Tour leaderboard Thursday for the first time, shooting a 2-under-par 70 in the first round of the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif.
Romo was tied for 25th when he came off Silverado Resort’s North Course.
In three previous appearances in PGA Tour events, Romo never came close to making a cut, winding up 38 shots over par through six rounds. He is playing in the Safeway Open as an amateur on a sponsor’s exemption.
If Romo can stay with the top 65 (and ties) through Friday, he would make the cut and qualify for the last two rounds on Saturday and Sunday. That would force him to miss work at his day job, as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports.
Romo is scheduled to be in the booth for the Vikings-Bears game in Chicago on Sunday. If he misses the cut, he would fly to Chicago on Saturday to do his normal pregame preparation, the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reported last week.
CBS executives signed off on Romo’s golf excursion after refusing to do so in similar circumstances last year, according to Marchand. The network told Marchand it has a backup analyst ready to fill in for Romo if necessary, but it wouldn’t reveal who that person is.
On Thursday, Romo started on the back nine and was 1 under par at the turn. He made consecutive bogeys at Nos. 3 and 4 but added birdies at Nos. 5, 8 and 9.
Romo, 39, won each of the past two American Century Championship celebrity tournaments in Stateline, Nev., to highlight an impressive amateur golfing resume.
–Field Level Media
