Tony Romo To Play In PGA Tour Event
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP/105.3 The Fan) - Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is making his PGA Tour debut next month in the Dominican Republic -- playing, not broadcasting.
Romo, now the lead NFL analyst for CBS Sports, has received a sponsor exemption to play in the inaugural Puntacana Resort & Club Championship on March 22-25. The tournament is held the same week as the Dell Technologies Match Play and will not feature any of the top 64 players in the world.
"As a professional athlete, the love and thrill of competition never entirely leaves you," Romo told the PGATour.com. "Outside of my family and football, golf is one of my greatest passions. So, playing and competing in a PGA TOUR event is a dream come true. I am grateful to the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship for giving me an incredible opportunity to test my skills against some of the best on TOUR."
Romo has tried to qualify for the U.S. Open three times. He advanced to the final stage of qualifying in 2010 but had to withdraw. He also played last year in the Western Amateur, failing to make the cut for match play.
"As a first-year PGA TOUR event, we are elated to have Tony Romo accept our offer to play in the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship," said Grupo Puntacana Founder and Chairman Frank Rainieri. "Tony Romo rose to an elite level in professional football, and then quickly became a popular and well-regarded broadcaster for CBS when he retired. He has a history of achieving success in the face of major challenges. And now he's going to face a new one, the rare opportunity to compete as an amateur against the world's best golfers. We are very excited to see how this plays out.
The tournament carries a purse of at least $3 million and will be broadcast on Golf Channel.
Romo is playing the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this week with Will Zalatoris.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)