There was plenty of good, but also plenty of bad for Tony Romo in his PGA Tour debut.
Playing in the Corales Punta Cana Resort & Club Championship on a sponsor exemption, Romo shot an even-par 36 for his opening nine holes in the Dominican Republic. The former NFL quarterback bogeyed his first two holes, but steadied the ship with three birdies in a five-hole stretch from Nos. 4-8.
The early highlight of the round came at the par-4 fifth hole, where Romo drained a putt from across the green for his second straight birdie:
Tony Romo goes DEEP! Back-to-back birdies get the former quarterback back to even par thru 6 @CoralesChamp. pic.twitter.com/3jDM7bDNOK
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 22, 2018
But the back nine wasn’t as kind for the 37-year-old, who dropped five shots in a four-hole stretch from Nos. 13-16. It added up to a 5-over 77 in the opening round, which left Romo ahead of only Guy Boros among the players who had finished in the morning wave.
“I hit two poor tee balls. Just didn’t commit to it, and ultimately just got put in a tough spot where you’re just trying to make par,” Romo said. “I hit a lot of good shots, and they ended up a couple times in some poor spots. But you learn the golf course as you play it throughout the week.”
Romo has played as an amateur partner in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and has played individually in U.S. Open local qualifiers and mini-tour events as an amateur. But this marks his first attempt to gauge his game against the best players in the world who are not in Austin for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
Romo was even par through 12 holes before a three-putt bogey from the fringe on No. 13. A nasty lie in the rough led to a double bogey on the par-5 14th, and Romo had to hit provisional tee shots on both Nos. 15 and 16. While he ultimately found his original ball on both holes, he left with a pair of bogeys.
“I really hit some good shots, and I’m close,” Romo said. “I had a chance to be under par pretty easily there for a while, and then two or three shots on the back nine cost me. But that’s golf.”
Romo will tee off at 1 p.m. ET Friday in the second round alongside Dru Love and Denny McCarthy.
Source: Internet
