here is a legend in the Romo family,
at least true enough to be repeated
on Dallas Cowboys quarterback
“It’s OK,” Ramiro replied, “he’ll miss it.”
But he didn’t. The shot, it is said, landed
in the neighbors’ living room.
It might have been a harbinger of amazing things to come, if only Tony had made
golf his first pursuit. He didn’t, though.
Growing up in Burlington, in Racine
County, Antonio Ramiro Romo played a
number of sports, including golf, but also
soccer, football and basketball. He was a
schoolboy star in those last pursuits, making the All-Racine County football team
and earning all-state honorable mention
in basketball before heading off to play
quarterback for Eastern Illinois and, eventually, superstardom in the NFL.
As for golf, he says today, “I did (play),
but I was terrible. I didn’t practice.”
Of course, when Tony Romo dismisses
his golf skills it must be taken not with a
grain but with a full shaker of salt. This is a
man who protests, “I’m not even sure I
play at a decent level,” yet who possesses
Tony Romo, left, looks to pass during a Dallas
Cowboys game last season. Above, Tony’s dad,
Ramiro, hits a tee shot in Wisconsin State Golf
Association competition.
such a sweet game that Golf Digest
ranked him first in the magazine’s 2009 list
of the Top 150 athlete golfers.
This is also a man who said, when I in-
quired of his current handicap, “I have no
idea. Anywhere from a zero to a 15,” yet
who outplayed his professional partner –
one Tiger Woods, of whom you may have
heard – in the final round of this year’s
AT&T National Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
While Woods soared to a final round 75,
Romo made enough birdies to help his
team finish 17th in the pro-am, which
prompted one announcer to mention on
national television which player had the
better game that day.
When I told him good luck trying to get
a money game by claiming a 15, Romo
laughed.
“Yeah,” he said, “you’re probably right.”
Football is Romo’s first love, to the point
where he says, “I wish we could play year-
round.” And given that the job of Dallas
quarterback has made him wealthy and
famous, it makes sense that he puts his
clubs away for seven months a year and
concentrates on being the leader of the
group known in every state but Wisconsin
as America’s Team.
