The Loop
A NFL quarterback not named Tony Romo is lighting up Pebble Beach on Saturday
Cliff Hawkins
All eyes were on Tony Romo on Friday at Pebble Beach, and for good reason. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback pulled off what may be the shot of the year on the PGA Tour, leading to one of his four birdies on the back nine. For a little while, it was hard to tell if he was the amateur or professional in his group.
Unfortunately, Romo had to withdraw from the tournament on Saturday, citing a "commitment at home" as the reason. That made room for another NFL quarterback to take center stage early on Saturday morning at Pebble Beach, and no, we're not talking about Aaron Rodgers, who is playing in the same group as Ho sung Choi this week. We're talking about Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who is absolutely lighting up Pebble early in his third round. Here's Ryan at the par-4 first, putting for birdie from just off the back of the green:
Nothing like starting with a birdie, even though it's all downhill from there, right? Actually, things got better for Matty Ice, as he followed that up by almost making an albatross at the par-5 second. Check out this saucy shot:
The 2016 NFL MVP cleaned that up for a three, giving him a birdie-eagle start that most tour pros would dream of at Pebble Beach. Through 10 holes, Ryan and partner Russell Knox are four under on the day, 18 under for the tournament. That's currently tied for sixth, seven shots back of leaders Paul Casey and Don Colleran. Ryan, who is playing as a 2 handicap, is crushing his NFL counterparts though, as he's five clear of defending amateur champion Larry Fitzgerald and 10 clear of Rodgers, who Ryan owns plenty of bragging rights over on the gridiron. Ryan's Falcons have won three of the last four against Rodgers' Packers, including the most recent playoff game, the 2016 NFC Championship, which the Falcons won 44-21. Of course, they went on to choke away the Super Bowl against the Patriots, but let's not go down that road.