Tony Romo is going to need a new fallback career.
On Friday, the same day he officially split with CBS months after his OWI arrest, Romo ended up embroiled in a scoring controversy in the final round of a Korn Ferry pre-qualifier tournament, according to Golf.com.
Romo was pushing to advance to Q School qualifying for the Korn Ferry Tour and needed around an even par score to do so. He ended up marking down a final score of 74 that would have left him a couple of shots shy of the cut line.
(The Korn Ferry Tour is essentially the minor leagues for the PGA Tour and the Q School is used to determine which new aspiring pros get their card for that tour).
However, Romo’s score differed from what playing partner Brandon Rice had down for the former Cowboys quarterback.
Rice, who was Romo’s scoring marker that day in their threesome, told Monday Q Info that he had Romo down for a 5 on 16, while Romo marked a 4.
Another unnamed pro, who was responsible for monitoring the group’s slow pace of play on that day, remembered Romo actually making 5 on hole Nos. 14 and 15 — a two-shot discrepancy from the former CBS announcer.
In a PGA Tour-sanctioned event, if you sign for a score that is lower than what you had, you are disqualified — and that was Romo’s fate.
Rob Keller, a longtime PGA Tour rules official who was overseeing the event, called Romo and described the situation. He said the 46-year-old accepted the ruling and was “very complimentary” of how the event at Club at Forest Ridge in Broken Arrow, Okla. was run, according to Golf.com.
The group had been under a clock warning through the latter part of the round and Keller said that rushed process — along with “all that was going on with him” — led Romo to not check the unmatched scorecards carefully.
Romo was also not going to qualify for the Korn Ferry Q School even with the best version of his score.
Romo’s drinking and driving arrest in July outside Milwaukee came after he was playing in the Wisconsin State Amateur golf tournament. The professional consequences of that arrest came to fruition on Friday as it was announced he and CBS had reached a settlement that would end his 10-year, $180 million contract four seasons early.
Romo, who following a plea deal admitted to an “over-reliance” on alcohol, will receive a “large portion” of the $72 million remaining on his contract, according to The Athletic.
“I’m proud of what I accomplished at CBS Sports over the last nine years,” Romo said in a statement to The Post. “I approached my role as a game analyst the way I’ve approached everything in my life – with a desire to win and be the best that I can be.
“I’m going to use this time to take a break, something I’ve never done before, and focus on my health and my family before moving on to my next opportunity. I am grateful for my time with CBS Sports and for the continued support of my family and friends, as well as the NFL community and fans.”
