He finished at 15-over 159, the worst score by six strokes among the 132 players.
Leader Brice Garnett, seeking his first PGA Tour victory, shot 68 for 13-under 131, one stroke ahead of fellow Americans Steve Wheatcroft (66) and Keith Mitchell (66).
Despite Romo's score, he savoured the experience and predicted better things were to come.
"I think you'll see some better golf in my future," Romo told PGATour.com.
"I got off to a rough start. I lipped out some short putts that kind of got me almost a little bit pressing.
"I just didn't hit the irons very good today. I was short-sided a few times, made too many mistakes. So a lot of stuff to learn from, and in a good way."
Romo, 37, had an outstanding career with the Dallas Cowboys, playing 156 NFL games before retiring last year.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Share
