Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was a surprise in his first year in the broadcast booth, and now he is going to see if he can amaze on the golf course. The CBS football analyst and color commentator is teeing it up for his debut on the PGA Tour Thursday at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in the Dominican Republic.
History is not on his side. Other athletes have tried to play in a PGA Tour event and failed. Most recently, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors played in a Web.com event last year and was 9/1 to make the cut. He finished 11 strokes from qualifying to play on the weekend. Romo is listed at +1500 to make it to Saturday and -3000 that he goes home after two rounds.
Romo, however, is undeterred by the long odds of making the cut. He told PGATour.com that he is ready to play with professionals.
“What I’ve done over the last few months has really been the same thing that I did in football when I was young and starting off,” Romo said. “What do I believe in? What’s my blueprint that I’m going to follow? You’ve got to believe in something, then you’ve got to go attack it.”
Links Experience
Romo currently carries a +0.3 handicap and has played in other professional golf tournaments. He has been a fixture at the Pebble Beach Pro Am, where amateurs, athletes, and celebrities are paired with a PGA Tour player.
The 37-year-old recently played in the Northern Texas PGA Players Tour, an organization that attracts club professionals. He shot an opening round 9-over-par 81, and at 2-over par through nine holes on the second day he withdrew.
At the Corales Puntacana event, where he received a sponsor’s exemption to compete, he is listed at most sportsbooks as a 2,000/1 pick to win. Bovada has him at the astronomical price of +150,000 to finish first.
One of the pro golfers paired with Romo is Dru Love, son of golfing legend Davis Love III. He told PGA Tour.com that Romo could compete.
“His swing looks great on the range, and the noise his ball makes is the same as the guys next to him. He’s taking it really seriously,” Love said. “As an athlete he prepares for football games weeks in advance like we do (for) PGA Tour events in advance, so I think he’s eager to get going.”
Prop Bets on Romo’s Play
BetDSI has several side bets related to Romo’s performance available.
The first hole is a tough 433-yard par four with water on the right side. How will he do when he is announced on the tee. Oddsmakers believe he will shake off the nerves and make a par. While a par is -160, a birdie is +275, and a bogey or worse is at +210.
The over/under for his score during any round is 80.5, with both providing a line of -115. How many birdies will he make? The over/under is 9.5 and both are at -115.
There are 132 players in the field, and Bovada has the over/under on how many he will finish ahead of at 2.5.
