Tony Romo faced disqualification from a Korn Ferry pre-qualifier tournament on Friday, the same day he parted ways with CBS Sports following an OWI arrest. According to Golf.com, Romo needed to achieve an even par score to advance to Q School qualifying for the Korn Ferry Tour but recorded a final score of 74, which was below the cut line.
Romo's score was disputed by his playing partner, Brandon Rice, who noted that he recorded a 5 for Romo on hole 16, while Romo marked it as a 4. An unnamed professional monitoring the group also indicated that Romo made a 5 on holes 14 and 15, leading to a discrepancy in his score. In PGA Tour-sanctioned events, signing for a lower score than actually made results in disqualification, which was the case for Romo.
Rob Keller, a PGA Tour rules official overseeing the event, explained that Romo accepted the ruling and was complimentary about the event's organization at Club at Forest Ridge in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Keller attributed the scoring error to the pressure of a clock warning and the circumstances surrounding Romo's recent events.
Romo's disqualification came after he was already unlikely to qualify for Korn Ferry Q School, even with an accurate score. His OWI arrest in July occurred during the Wisconsin State Amateur golf tournament, and the consequences of that incident were realized on Friday when CBS announced a settlement ending Romo's 10-year, $180 million contract four seasons early.
Following a plea deal, Romo acknowledged an “over-reliance” on alcohol and is expected to receive a significant portion of the remaining $72 million on his contract. In a statement, Romo expressed pride in his accomplishments at CBS Sports and stated his intention to take a break to focus on his health and family before pursuing new opportunities.