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DALLAS -- On almost every tee box and every green on Thursday, Tony Romo was greeted by shouts of encouragement during the first round of the AT&T Byron Nelson at Trinity Forest Golf Club. Good shot or bad, the fans were as invested in Romo as they were during his decade-long run as the Dallas Cowboys' starting quarterback. "It was fantastic," said Romo, who is playing in the event on a sponsor's exemption. "It was really enjoyable. I could feel the energy and just feel them pulling for you. It made me feel good inside."Editor's PicksMcCarthy atop Byron Nelson leaderboard with 63 Ultimately, Romo did not have the round he or the fans wanted, finishing with a 5-over 76 that left him tied for 148th after one round, but he had moments that brought out some of the loudest cheers at the tournament. Denny McCarthy leads the Byron Nelson after an opening-round 63, followed by Tyler Duncan and Tom Hoge at 64, but Romo, who was one of the featured players of the day, drew some of the largest galleries, which is why he was granted the exemption. As he walked to the first tee, fans yelled his name. As he walked down the fairways, Romo waved or gave a thumbs-up to those spurring him on. Fans young and old wore his No. 9 jersey. At one point, a fan said, "If [Jason] Witten can come back, you can, too." Another fan added, "That's my quarterback," conjuring up Terrell Owens' teary-eyed reply after the loss to the New York Giants in the 2007 playoffs. Romo opened with a 14-foot birdie putt on the par-5 first hole. After a bogey on No. 5, he got to 2 under on the seventh hole when he chipped in from 66 feet off the green for eagle, letting loose with a huge fist pump and loud "Let's go!" as the gallery roared in approval. "That's one of the best shots he's ever had," said Romo's son Hawk, who walked the course with his younger brother Rivers; mother, Candice; and both sets of grandparents. Romo followed the eagle with an impressive up and down to save par on No. 8, but his round turned quickly on the 505-yard, par-4 ninth hole when he badly hooked his tee shot into the woods, leading to a double-bogey. He made another double-bogey on No. 13 when his drive ran through the fairway into the tall native grasses. He made bogeys on Nos. 14, 15 and 17 mostly because of poor tee shots. He hit just six of 14 fairways and only eight of 18 greens in regulation. In the morning, the temperatures were warm and the wind was minimal, but in the afternoon, the temperatures dipped and the wind out of the north made the course more difficult. "A couple of those tee shots really cost me just because they're penal in those areas," Romo said. "You can't miss them there. The separation between these guys is the ability to do it for long stretches, consistency. I think just a few tee shots cost me the round." It was better than what Romo shot in March at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship when he finished 15 over for the second straight year at the PGA Tour event, but he
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