AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIP

July 10, 2026

Tony Romo

Edgewood Tahoe

Press Conference

Q. You had almost a hole-in-one. Talk about that. I saw you on the phone on 18. Who was that phone call to?

TONY ROMO: That was to the wife. She's not here. My son is playing in the EYBL Junior Championship, Peach Jam, in Georgia, Augusta. I'm trying to follow that as the tournament's going on. And it was fun because he's been playing well and their team's through it. They won the playoff game. But gotta sprinkle that in as a dad.

Q. What about that shot on 7?

TONY ROMO: We're going to take a little bit off. It was a pitching wedge. It's always hard when you get here to get the numbers down because of the altitude. So you're always trying to figure out how to make things, when you hit a three-quarter shot, when you hit a full shot, just see what the difference is.

If you hit high here, it's going to go a lot further. If you keep it three-quarter, you can keep the numbers a little closer to home, with just a little extra. But you're just trying to get the data on yourself for what you're doing.

So I did a good job on that hole. I hit a few shots stony today, which helped. So I only made, like, one putt for birdie, but the iron play and a lot of the drives were pretty good today.

Q. Looking at the leaderboard today, you had 29, 27, 25. Was there something about the scoring conditions today or is it just the quality of the field that's dictating the rise in the scores?

TONY ROMO: That's a good question. I think starting off, it was a little tougher than you thought because the pin positions were very difficult and you want to attack. We have short irons on some of the holes, but at the same time you gotta be protective because you could easily miss to the short side. So I think you were playing to the, I guess you could say, the wide part of the green and you just want to keep yourself in the mix of what we did today.

I think Joe, he eagled the last hole, right? Well, that's the difference in the day. It's like I parred it. He eagled. There's the difference. Six points. One point. That's a five-point difference.

I think you will find, as the tournament goes on, it will come down to a shot like that here and there.

Q. Obviously you don't want to draw up a double-bogey to start. But kind of to kind of cauterize?

TONY ROMO: Not a good start.

Q. And to head into a good spot heading into the weekend, how important was that just to flush that one and move on?

TONY ROMO: I feel like I've been playing well in the other tournaments I've played in. You realize, it's okay, move on. It is the worst start you could possibly have.

I don't think you realize the rough here is very severe. And once you get in it, you stop thinking about -- like early on, it's like this could fly out of here. You don't realize whether it's going to jump or if it's going to be normal or how it's going to come out. And each one comes out a little soft, a little bit softer, where you lose the five yards, eight yards.

Where I was trying to hit a soft shot -- I hit it aggressive shot. My caddie said when I hit it in the air on the first hole, he said, how was it? I said I think I hit it good. But that flag is very difficult, downwind, and it's a little closer to the front. You're trying to carry the front edge. I thought I hit it right, and obviously not. It went in the water. You're like, okay.

I've been hitting it well but obviously not to start but your job is just to start over, go on to the next hole. I hit a good drive, a good shot. I 2-putted, had a difficult putt there from 15 feet.

But I think, ultimately, it was just the ball striking. Everything kept me in position to still have a chance. By the end of the week I think we'll be okay.

Q. The Peach Jam's the real deal. Gives us the scouting report on your son? Where does the basketball lineage come from?

TONY ROMO: You know about the Peach Jam. The lineage comes from his mom. She was all-state in high school.

He's worked his way there, and it's been fun just following it.

Even when I'm playing, I'm sitting there watching the game, trying to follow my son because my wife's there. She's been here every year. She can't be here this year. But I'd never miss that as a dad. But because the whole family and everyone's coming here, we have to be here. But it's really fun to follow.

They got through, I guess, the round robin stage, and now they won their first playoff game so they're on to the next one. They've got another one tonight. If they get through that, I'm sure I'll be following them in the morning tomorrow. But it's just fun to be a dad at this stage.

Q. Talk about the crowds out there. When you got to 17, just what the crowds were like on day one?

TONY ROMO: They were amazing. Honestly, I felt like each shot I hit, you could feel the energy. People rooting for you. It spurs you on, I guess you could say, just where you feel like you want to do well for them, and it makes you -- it's not like it makes you try hard, because you try hard on every shot, but it's like you want to do it for them as well. There's a lot of great fans out there. There's so many.

It's rare from other tournaments just to have that ability to feel the weight of the crowd. So I'm trying on every shot, I promise you that. But they're behind us.

Q. As a follow to that, you played in PGA TOUR events and other events, so you've seen little boys and girls come out to PGA TOUR events. There are a lot of little boys and girls that are coming out to this event that are probably experiencing golf for the first time. So as an athlete who is playing in the event but it's not your first sport, but you're de facto introducing golf to them for the first time, how cool is that for you guys to be able to do that here at this tournament?

TONY ROMO: That's a great question, because I think that's one of the value of this tournament is that it brings in all three levels from kids, to parents, to grandpas and grandmas.

I just feel like kids are out here to see their heroes in some ways, and then they sit there and they watch them, and it's like they want them to do so good and you want to do it for them. But seeing them out there, it just kind of spurs you on as a player, but at the same time you want to give them time. We give them time, obviously, throughout the week.

When you're playing, I spend hours after the round signing for everybody. But you've got to get through the round so you don't get on the clock.

But I feel like it's one of the joys of this tournament is just seeing all three levels of family, the kids, to the parents, to the grandparents. It's really joyful to see how that kind of plays out because I don't think that's the same at every other tournament. This tournament does as good a job as any tournament I've ever been around of seeing all three levels be here. And the kids love it. That's joyful for us as players.

Q. When you were signing autographs, you signed them for all three levels. The last was a group of guys that are getting married this week. You sign it for a lot of sports, but does it just give extra joy to be able to do that for them, like you said, all three levels here this week?

TONY ROMO: Yeah, it's a gift to us, too, because it's like they're rooting for you. And anybody who is rooting for you, you just want to try hard for them. You want to do that. There's so many fans that are rooting for me. I promise you, I'm giving everything I have and you're trying to be in the mix.

I think we're in the mix right now. But the double-bogey on 1, I'm like I'm sorry everybody, you feel that weight. The people getting married, the birthdays, they're telling you 24/7, and it is really enjoyable because it does feel like they're doing this -- this is their trip. This is that time. And so I just want to give them time as a player, as a person, I guess, and it is really enjoyable just to see how happy they are, because I know that time period in your life, it's pretty special.

Q. This is your 16th American Century Championship. You've won it three times. There's three other guys that have more victories than you do. Rhoden had eight.

TONY ROMO: No one will touch that. But we'll see.

Q. Quinn had five.

TONY ROMO: That's true, Dan.

Q. Billy Joe had four. And you have three. You and Mulder. You can move past Mulder if you tie Billy Joe with one this week. Thoughts?

TONY ROMO: Well, that's the goal. When I double bogeyed 1, I was super disappointed but I was sitting there going, I know how I've been playing. There's a lot of golf left, just get yourself back in the mix. And we did that today.

Obviously, Joe did a great job. I think he eagled 18, right? And Mardy's always been there. Great player. So we just need to be in the mix. Steph played great today as well. But the way I'm playing right now, I think we're going to have a good five- to nine-hole stretch where we'll take off at some point because it's been a while since we've been hitting the ball like this. I'm excited.