GARLAND, Texas – Entering the day at 11-over through 27 holes, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current NFL on CBS analyst Tony Romo rebounded by going 1-over through 27 more holes on Friday at the First Stage of the 2018 Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament. Through three rounds at Firewheel at Garland Bridges, Romo sits at 12-over and solo 73rd.

“It’s always more fun when you play well,” said Romo. “You know I still left some shots out there, but that’s part of getting better this year. I’m getting better. I can see through the repetition and good coaching and hard work and effort, you’re going to keep improving. What I see is just the consistency aspect. Some of the small things have kept me from shooting the lower, lower scores, but that’ll be the offseason practice.”

The 38-year-old began his day with a bogey at the par-5 tenth, his second in two rounds. But Romo responded with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 15 and 16 on the back nine (Champion Nine) before he parred the final two for a 1-under 34. The nine-hole score completed his second round at 2-over 73 to sit 74th after 36 holes.

Teeing off in the afternoon for his third round, Romo birdied the 11th before a double bogey at the 15th pushed him to 1-over at the turn. After a bogey at the fourth, Romo dropped a 40-foot birdie at the sixth to regain some momentum. After hitting out of bounds at the par-5 seventh, Romo chipped in to save bogey and remain at 2-over for the round where he would finish after two more pars.

“[On No. 6] It was a left-to-righter and you’re trying to get it high and give it the right pace and I caught a break,” said Romo. “When you make one from 40 feet part of it is lucky. But we were putting it well today and had a couple drop.”

A month prior in Lantana, Texas, Romo looked to have just missed the cut to advance to First Stage at T37, before a late DQ moved him to T36, enough to advance. This week, the top 22 and ties will advance to Second Stage.

Romo, the Cowboys’ starting quarterback from 2006 through 2014, competed in the PGA TOUR’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship on a sponsor’s exemption in March of this year, posting rounds of 77-82—159 en route to missing the cut. He attempted to qualify for the 2018 U.S. Open in April but carded a 5-over-par 77 at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano, Texas, and failed to secure one of the eight sectional qualifying spots. Romo has also competed in several amateur and celebrity events, winning the prestigious American Century Championship in July. Romo will tee off for the final round on Saturday morning off of No. 10 at 9:50 a.m. CT.

Brandon Robinson-Thompson of Aiken, South Carolina, leads by two strokes after a third-round 9-under 62. Highlighted by an eagle at the eighth, Robinson-Thompson posted a bogey-free round to get to 17-under through three rounds.