Tony Romo Disqualified From Golf Tournament As Downward Spiral Continues — Did He Blatantly Cheat?

October 9, 2026, 1:19pm EST 26 • By Arnab Mondal

Romo is really going through a difficult time.

Tony Romo has one more headache to deal with after a really tough few months. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback got disqualified from a golf tournament in Oklahoma last week because of a simple mistake on his scorecard.

Click for sound 0:00 / 0:00 The crazy part is that it happened on the exact same day he announced he was leaving CBS Sports. The 46-year-old had entered the qualifying tournament as he tried to turn professional. He finished three shots short of a qualifying spot, but a mistake on his scorecard led officials to disqualify him after the event ended.

According to Golf.com, Romo made the error during his third and final round.

It’s just another blow in what’s been a tough stretch for the former NFL star, who was already dealing with plenty of criticism following his arrest in Wisconsin back in July.

Romo’s playing partner, Louisiana-based professional golfer Brandon Rice, recorded his score on the 16th hole as a bogey five. However, Romo told Rice that he had scored a four and signed his scorecard with that number before leaving the course.

A local professional golfer who followed their group noticed the problem later that night. The official had kept an eye on Romo and Rice after tournament staff warned them about slow play.

The professional recalled watching Romo take three putts on both the 16th and 17th holes. He believed Romo had scored five on each hole. However, the scorecard listed a four on both holes.

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Tournament rules left Romo with little room to avoid disqualification. In PGA Tour-sanctioned events, a player faces disqualification if he signs a scorecard with a lower score than he actually recorded and fails to correct it within 15 minutes.

Rob Keller, a PGA Tour rules official with 12 years of experience, suggested that Romo’s missed qualification spot, the slow-play warning, and other distractions may have affected his attention. Keller said Romo did not check Rice’s card before signing it.

Romo later received a call about the mistake and took responsibility for the incorrect card. Although the error did not change the tournament’s outcome, officials disqualified him.

The incident comes after Romo left CBS Sports following his July 23 OWI arrest in Milwaukee. He had signed a 10-year, $180 million contract with the network in 2020.

Romo also faced scrutiny after police released bodycam footage of his sobriety tests. He later reached a plea deal with Wisconsin prosecutors and spoke openly about his struggles with pain medication and alcohol dependency.

In his statement last week, Romo said he wanted to take a break and focus on his health and family before pursuing his next opportunity.