Tony Romo gives up offseason golf

ByABC News
June 7, 2015, 10:29 AM

— -- Tony Romo is giving up his offseason hobby of playing golf in order to protect his surgically repaired back.

Romo acknowledged during a charity appearance Thursday night that he is avoiding golf, along with recreational basketball and soccer, this offseason, citing his "love" of football and a commitment to rehabbing his back.

"Well, I love football," Romo told reporters at the Dallas Cowboys Women's Association's charity fashion show. "I think what you find is that you love the game of football so much that it's easy to have other things take a back seat."

Romo is an avid golfer and routinely attempts to qualify for the U.S. Open. Golf Digest rated Romo as the best golfer among professional athletes in 2009.

But after undergoing two back surgeries in 2013, the 35-year-old Romo has put down his golf clubs this summer despite his love of competition.

"I love to compete," he said. "I think anybody who knows me well knows that competition is what I thrive on, regardless of what it is in life. I tell my wife sometimes, as long as I'm able to compete on a daily basis with something, I sleep well at night. I thrive on that."

Romo also called this offseason the best he has had in two years, attributing his consistent presence at the Cowboys' OTAs to his "stronger" back.

ESPN.com Cowboys reporter Todd Archer contributed to this report.