Tony Romo’s hopes of becoming a professional golfer hang by a thread after the disgraced NFL legend failed to climb the leaderboard of a pre-qualifying event on Thursday.
In his first public appearance since striking a plea deal over his OWI arrest, Romo is competing at a tournament in Oklahoma.
The retired NFL star, whose future with CBS is uncertain after he was pulled over by police and charged with OWI, is attempting to reach the first rung of the PGA Tour ladder.
But after two rounds of a pre-qualifying event for the Tour’s Q-School by Korn Ferry, Romo sits in a tie for 49th – 15 shots off the lead and three strokes adrift of the qualifying line.
Following a four-over-par 76 in his opening round, Romo hit a three-over-par 75 on Thursday. He is playing alongside amateur and professional golfers from around the world.
Romo struck a plea deal with prosecutors in Wisconsin earlier this month, two months after he was pulled over in his Jeep and charged with OWI.
Tony Romo’s hopes of becoming a professional golfer hang by a thread at a qualifying event
The retired quarterback was arrested after being pulled over in Milwaukee on July 23
Humiliating bodycam footage of him performing poorly in sobriety tests went viral at the time, and he was quickly sidelined indefinitely by CBS ahead of the NFL season.
Romo is an avid golfer, having previously attempted to qualify for the US Open and the US Amateur.
He has also teed it up in three Korn Ferry Tour events in 2020 and 2021 as well as making PGA Tour appearances, including at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
This is not the first time that he has taken a crack at the PGA Tour’s Q-School pre-qualifying, making multiple attempts without success.
Romo’s OWI arrest in July came just hours after he was believed to have played in the final round of the Wisconsin Amateur Championship.
The Cowboys icon has competed in the annual golf tournament for multiple years at West Bend Country Club, which is located around 37 miles outside of Milwaukee.
One of the conditions of his plea deal is that he will have to spend time in jail if he is found guilty of another operating while intoxicated (OWI)-related offense within the next 10 years.
Another drinking-and-driving conviction in the next decade will lead to a ‘mandatory jail sentence’ for Romo. He has also agreed to have an ignition interlock device placed on all of his vehicles.
Romo has been on leave at CBS since his OWI arrest in July in his native Wisconsin
Romo has also been fined more than $700 and his driver’s license has been revoked for six months. He also vowed to complete an alcohol assessment program.
In addition to the original OWI charge, Romo was hit with first-offense OWI, unsafe passing on the right side, and possessing open intoxicants inside his vehicle.
In exchange for agreeing to the plea deal’s conditions, prosecutors have agreed to drop all other citations.
Earlier this month, Romo candidly opened up on his struggles with pain medication and alcohol dependency and took accountability for the incident.
‘Football has shaped nearly every meaningful part of my life,’ he said in a statement.
‘I played for more than 20 years, including 14 in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. After my retirement, CBS gave me the profound honor of staying close to the game through broadcasting.
‘Playing taught me the power of relationships, the strength of a team, and the toughness to face failure head-on with honesty, resilience, and the determination to do better.
‘This is one of those moments when I am leaning on everything football taught me.
Romo is being kept off air by CBS indefinitely following his OWI arrest this summer
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‘This morning, I faced a recent personal failure by pleading no contest to a civil offense for OWI in Wisconsin. I own this completely.’
Romo, who earns $18million per year with CBS, was placed on indefinite leave by the network following his arrest, with JJ Watt taking up his role alongside play-by-play commentator Jim Nantz.
Initially, it was only Week 1 that he was officially set to miss, with Watt working alongside Jim Nantz for the Packers-Vikings game.
However, he is still yet to appear on CBS after the opening three rounds of games.
