Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 Lacks Tiger On The Cover

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters

I wouldn’t normally write an announcement about the latest video game, but two things about the latest version of the EA-Tiger Woods franchise caught my eye:

1) For what is apparently the first time in a video game, you now can play Augusta National. Since that’s as close as I’m going to get to playing on the hallowed grounds, I’m very much interested. Thing One, the fifteen year old, has a Wii and we have a chickenstick, so I might get it for that system. On the other hand, I got a PS3 for Christmas, and the graphics on that one are so much better. I’ve been enjoying the heck out of the one game I have for it: Batman Arkham Asylum. PGA Tour Augusta might be my second.

The second thing is perhaps even more interesting:

2) Tiger is NOT on the cover of his namesake game.

I actually predicted this last year when Tiger shared the cover with Rory McIlroy

MARCH 10, 2010
A few weeks ago, I suggested Electronic Arts might back out of their deal with Tiger by moving to a general PGA Tour game, featuring the likenesses of several “young guns.”:

From February 27:

By my count (I’m probably forgetting something), that leaves Tiger with just two high profile deals: Nike and Electronic Arts, makers of the Tiger Woods video game. Nike is in too deep to get out. I predict that EA will drop him in the next year in favor of a general PGA Tour game, with several top young guns as the hook. Picture a box with Kim, Villegas, and several other under 30 “hip” players smiling out at you. They could sign the whole lot for less than they pay Woods.

My predictions, it seems, have come true. Golf Week is reporting that Rory McIlroy will join Tiger on the cover of Tiger Woods 2011. The reason is ostensibly that this is a Ryder Cup year, and Rory is a European.

Right.

I stand by my prediction. EA will move away from Tiger..

I was off by a little bit. Turns out he’s been shoved aside in favor of a course. No matter. The principle was correct. EA is looking for a way out.