July 27, 2018 at 4:20 p.m.
Romo brings competitive fire from the football field to the golf course at MCC
Romo brings competitive fire from the football field to the golf course at MCC
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current top analyst for NFL on CBS, Tony Romo competed in his first state am and his fifth WSGA event of the season.
An avid golfer from a young age - even during his football career - Romo uses the sport as a way to spend more time with his father, Ramiro, who also competed in the tournament this week.
"Me and my dad have a special relationship and he's my best friend," Romo said. "So any time I get a chance to play with him at a tournament we really enjoy it. We get to spend time after the rounds and catch up and just have father-son time."
Ramiro Romo picked up golf later in his life, but he has passed his love for the sport on to Tony.
The elder Romo recalls buying his son his first set of golf clubs when he was eight years old, which resulted in him sending a ball through a neighbor's window.
The two Romos did not simply take to the course and shoot the breeze, however. They went toe-to-toe with some of the top amateur golfers in the state.
"It's just in our blood, I guess," Ramiro Romo said. "We like to compete. We like to measure where we're at against the other top competitors and we like to win. When we can (win), we will, and when we can't, we'll go back to the drawing board and start over. We love the competition."
Golf isn't the only thing Ramiro Romo handed down to his son. He believes Tony's competitive fire comes from him.
Tony Romo made a name for himself during his 14-year NFL career by playing through pain and injuries.
The four-time Pro Bowler once played a Monday Night Football game with a punctured lung and later in his career led a game-winning touchdown drive with a herniated disk in his back.
While golf has long been a love for Romo, once his playing days came to end prior to the 2017 season, it became a supplement for the competitive juices he displayed on the gridiron.
"I love golf and practicing and getting better at something," Romo said. "It's enjoyable. For me, I like competition and trying to improve."
That competitive nature and desire to continually improve was apparent during the tournament as Romo shot three-over par in the first round after never having played the course at Minocqua Country Club.
The following day he bounced back to shoot 71. He followed with a 70 on Wednesday and a 72 on Thursday to finish at even for the championship, in a tie for 13th place. Bogies on the final two holes of the tournament cost him a chance at a top-10 finish.
""I did good. I got better, improved," he said after Thrusday's final round. "The golf game's starting to get tighter. I feel excited about the future."
Make no mistake, Romo does not attend these tournaments to have fun, blow off steam or for publicity reasons.
Romo is there to win every time he steps onto the golf course. In fact, he went from winning the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe, Nev., to attempting to qualify for the USGA Amateur Championship the following day. As for playing a State Am in the Northwoods, Romo gave the event high marks.
"It was fantastic," he said. "The course was in excellent condition. The WSGA did a fantastic job and I think just great people in this whole area - a fun environment. and a great place to play."
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