Tony Romo Struggles En Route to 1st-Round 77 at 2021 Veritex Bank Championship

Joseph Zucker @@JosephZuckerFeatured ColumnistApril 22, 2021

Tony Romo follows his shot from the 13th tee of the Monterey Peninsula County Club Shore Course during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Tony Romo had a day to forget in the Veritex Bank Championship at Texas Rangers Golf Club in Arlington, Texas.

As he made the walk back to the clubhouse, Romo was tied for last place (155th) after carding a six-over 77.

While known largely for his exploits on the gridiron and inside the broadcast booth, Romo has made four PGA Tour starts. He was scheduled to compete in the Price Cutter Charity Championship last July but withdrew due to a "wrist issue."

The Korn Ferry Tour announced in March the four-time Pro Bowler had received a sponsor's invite to Arlington.

Romo got his round off to a great start, chipping out for an eagle on No. 10:

Korn Ferry Tour @KornFerryTour
Generational touch. 🏈⛳️ @DallasCowboys alum @TonyRomo makes eagle on his opening hole @VBChampionship! https://t.co/5ueU1mvVCV

Unfortunately for the former Dallas Cowboys star, that wasn't a sign of things to come. He double-bogeyed No. 13 and triple-bogeyed No. 17. A pair of birdies helped mitigate the damage and put him at one over as he made the turn.

Scott Bell @ScottBellDMN
Tony Romo started his round in style Thursday morning at @VBChampionship, carding an eagle on the first hole. But he has since lost three different balls in his last five holes, with the last two coming on the par-4 17th, his 8th hole of the day. After a triple bogey, he's at +2.

However, things didn't improve on the back nine. He double-bogeyed the third hole before three straight bogeys.

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Joe Trahan @JoeTrahan
After a lengthy ruling discussion, Tony Romo forced to take a penalty stroke on his 12th hole of the day. It ended in a double bogey. Tony is now 3-over in his opening round. https://t.co/QP9Jyw4Z6G

A par on No. 7 brought the run to an end before a bogey on No. 8 knocked him back even further. A birdie on No. 9 came too late to make much of a difference.

Romo will get his second round underway at 3:15 p.m. ET on Friday from the No. 1 tee. Considering the hole he has dug for himself, it might take a Herculean effort just to continue playing through the weekend.

The 41-year-old was unable to make the cut in his previous four tries in the PGA Tour. Based on his first round, it looks like the streak will extend to five.

Still, Romo can fall back on his CBS Sports gig, which pays him a reported $17 million annually.