Tony Romo's U.S. Open Dream Dies Again: 11 Shots Away From Qualifying
Tony Romo is running out of time. The former Cowboys QB and current CBS analyst shot a brutal 9-over 79 Monday at a local qualifier in Waco, Texas, finishing 11 shots behind the cut line and missing his chance to advance to the final stage of U.S. Open qualifying. Again.
This is Romo's latest swing and miss in his quest to reach the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills on June 15-18. He carded a 40-39 at Ridgewood Country Club, where the medalist, Theo Humphrey, fired a 66. A 2-under score was all you needed to move forward to the final qualifying stage. Romo fell way short. The last time he even made it that far was 2010. That's 16 years ago.
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Romo isn't alone in chasing this dream. Eight former pro athletes are grinding through the first stage of U.S. Open qualifying, trying to write their own unlikely story. Baseball guys are in the mix too: two-time All-Star relief pitcher Tyler Clippard, pitcher Shigetoshi Hasegawa, and outfielder Aaron Hicks are all taking their shots next week. Tennis legend Mardy Fish is in there. Former NFL running back Danny Woodhead and quarterback Drew Olson are swinging. Even hockey player J.T. Miller showed up to the party.
But the scoreboard doesn't care about your resume. It only cares about what you shoot today.
One Connection You Might Not Have Noticed
Here's a fun one: Aaron Hicks is married to Cheyenne Woods, a former LPGA Tour professional with six career top-25 finishes on the LPGA. Woods has played in the U.S. Women's Open five times. Oh, and she's the niece of Tiger Woods. So yeah, golf is in that family.
For Romo, though, there's no family legacy to lean on. Just another year of wondering what could have been if that putter got hot. He'll be back next year, probably. But at some point, you have to ask: how many more chances is he going to get?
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.