Tony Romo shot a 69 in his first CWI round (CWI photo)

Among them is Tony Romo, the 38-year-old former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys who is currently an NFL television analyst. Romo got off to a good start at Carlton Woods' Fazio Course, making birdies at 4, 6 and 7 to get to three under. After dropping two shots in the middle of his round, he recovered with birdies at 12 and 17 to post 3 under.

Romo's 69 comes just one day after attempting U.S. Open qualifying in Dallas, where he fell shot of advancing to the Sectional.

Scoring was good at Carlton Woods, as overcast skies kept some moisture on the course and allowed six players to break par; last year there were only seven under par rounds for the entire week.

Joining Romo at the top of the leaderboard is Brian Blanchard of Tempe, AZ. One of the youngest players in the field at 25, Blanchard bogeyed his first and last holes on Tuesday, but scattered five birdies in between.

Ryan Eibner (Dallas, TX), a 28-year-old reinstated amateur, made birdies at 6, 7, and 9 to turn at three under, then made two bogeys and two birdies on the back nine.

Shane Heise (The Woodlands, TX) shot a 70 to sit one shot back in fourth, while Joseph Deraney (Lexington, KY) is tied for fifth at 1 under with 62-year-old Brady Exber of Las Vegas, who is eligible for the Senior division but is electing to compete for the overall championship.

Two-time champion Colby Harwell (San Antonio, TX) is among a group of players at even par.

SENIOR DIVISION

Lawrence Field (Tulsa, OK) and Scott Smith (Houston, TX) shot matching 2-under 70s to share the first round Senior lead. Both players got to 3 under on the front nine but dropped a shot coming in.

Three Texans--Randy King (Horseshoe Bay), Mike Peck (Irving) and three-time Senior champion Mike Booker (Houston)--turned in scores of 1-under 71 and sit tied for third.

The first round did little to separate the field, with 26 players within five shots of the lead.

The defending champion Jeff New (Scottsdale, AZ) shot a 73 and is tied for 10th at 1 over with a large group of players that includes former champion Lee Sandlin (Dallas, TX).

Round two will be Wednesday morning, with the final round on Thursday.