TO CLOSE

Tony Romo shot a par 3 75 during a qualifying event, where he needed to shoot 3 under.
USA TODAY Sports

As a television analyst, Tony Romo failed to accept a sponsor waiver Tuesday to compete in the AT & T Byron Nelson PGA TOUR tournament in May.

The retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback steals an opportunity from a true professional golfer or a promising young amateur who is committed to golfing his career.

And Romo, 38, is neither one nor the other.

PEBBLE BEACH, CA – FEBRUARY 12: Tiger Woods (left) and Tony Romo (right), NFL quarterback in football for the Dallas Cowboys, laugh at the fifth hole in the last round of the Pro-Am's AT & T Pebble Beach. at Pebble Beach Golf Links on February 12, 2012 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo of Harry How / Getty Images)

He is nothing more than a dilettante, a former star athlete who takes the place of a more deserving person. As a former professional athlete, he should be ashamed of himself.

I respected Romo for his long career in the NFL with the Cowboys and for the preparation of four Pro Bowls despite the fact that he was not drafted. But I wonder what Romo could have felt at the beginning of his career, when he was still a substitute waiting for his chance, if the Cowboys decided to sell more pre-season tickets if they gave the playing time from Romo to a local country singer who had been a good quarter in high school.

It's the same thing: a cheap pub shot.

The organizers of the Nelson tournament in Dallas should also be ashamed of having granted Romo the exemption.

"We've been talking about it for years, "tournament director Jon Drago told the Dallas Morning News. "He tried to qualify for some of them, had conflicts with football. We now play Trinity Forest, his home run, and he does not play football.

"It was a good time this year."

Yeah, the timing was good, because Romo could not be honest at a qualifying match on Monday like the hoi polloi, who has to make his way to make his way.

Some fans may find that it's cute and harmless and will be curious to see how Romo will come out of it. But I have been covering professional golfers for years, and I have too much respect for their fight to see an amateur swooning with humor pretending to be a pro for two days before he missed the cut.

And make no mistake, Romo will miss the cut. In Nelson last year, the cut was 4 below par. Outstanding players like Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Brandt Snedeker missed the mark. In March, Romo was also exempted by a sponsor of the PGA Tour event in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. He finished last in front of 132 players at age 15.

Yeah. The timing is good.

Romo is a very good amateur golfer. In July, he won the annual Lake Tahoe Celebrity Tournament. In the fall, he even managed to pre-qualify to become a member of the Web.com Tour.

This means that if Romo abandons all the rest and is fully dedicated to golf, he may have a chance to participate in the PGA Tour development circuit. Could. But he has no chance to play on the PGA Tour. Zero.

And that brings me to the biggest question to ask. What exactly is Romo's goal in accepting the sponsor exemption? To "test"? To adore and to feel again as a star athlete? Prepare for the PGA Tour Champions in 12 years?

And why would Romo even want to be a professional golfer? It's exhausting, with constant shifts and tons of pressure. In 2018, Romo earned about $ 4 million with CBS and is expected to have a big pay raise. His salary would have placed him in the top 20 of last season's PGA Tour winners alongside Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler. The financial leader of the Web.com Tour last year reported $ 553,800.

So Romo should play as well as Lefty to make as much money as he says, "Let's go!" and make predictions on TV, otherwise he would play for peanuts in the minor league of the PGA Tour.

This is wrong and it makes no sense. Unless you are a former vain athlete or a golf tournament that attracts attention.

Contact Carlos Monarrez at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.