Tony Romo’s Sunday NFL duties for CBS might be on hold after impressive opening round at Safeway Open

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It’s a good thing CBS came up with a backup plan for Sunday’s Bears-Vikings game. Tony Romo might actually be busy playing golf instead.

The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback turned TV analyst is making his fourth PGA Tour start at this week’s Safeway Open. But unlike the previous three, Romo has put himself in position to make the weekend cut following a two-under-par 70 on Thursday. How ’bout that Cowboy?!

Romo, who is playing as an amateur, was T-20 when he signed his scorecard, five shots behind early leader Adam Scott. The afternoon wave was just getting started at Silverado Resort and Spa’s North Course.

It didn’t take Romo long to get into red numbers as he drained a 50-footer for birdie on his opening hole, the par-4 10th. After a bogey on No. 14, Romo responded with a beautiful bunker shot to set up a second birdie on No. 18:

After making the turn, back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4 looked like they’d lead to Romo’s seventh consecutive over-par round on the PGA Tour, but a nifty recovery shot on the par-5 fifth led to an up-and-down birdie to pull back to even. Romo then birdied No. 8:

And No. 9 to finish his round in style:

Incredibly, Romo beat his two playing partners, Beau Hossler and Michael Gellerman, by four and six shots, respectively. Not bad for someone who was listed as a 50,000-to-1 long shot to win the tournament by Westgate Las Vegas Superbook, which also set Romo’s first-round over/under score at 78.5.

Romo’s previous best PGA Tour score was a 74 (3 over) in the second round of this year’s AT&T Byron Nelson. But that round came at one of his home courses, Trinity Forest Golf Club.

More recently, Romo successfully defended his title on the celebrity circuit at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe. But making the cut at a PGA Tour event would obviously be the crowning achievement of his budding golf career by far. And if he does, Boomer Esiason is ready to take his seat next to Jim Nantz in Chicago on Sunday. Go get ’em, Tony.


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