Tiger Woods’ name may be on the cover of the latest iteration of Electronic Arts’ PGA Tour series, but the famously troubled golfer isn’t the game’s star. That honour goes to Augusta National, a course widely recognized as one of the finest clubs in the world and which plays host to the prestigious Masters tournament.
Indeed, the game all but revolves around both Augusta and the storied competition that has attracted the globe's best golfers annually since 1934. The primary career mode is organized as a journey through qualifying school and several tours with the grand goal of competing in the Masters. A secondary mode has players trying to recreate some of the tournament’s most memorable performances, such as Gary Player’s blistering final back nine that led him to his third championship in 1978.
The upshot is that you’ll find yourself spending a lot of time on Augusta’s renowned real estate, and you probably won’t be disappointed by what you see. The course is extraordinarily well captured, with famous holes like the short but devilish par three 12th and the round-making (or destroying) par five 15th looking—and playing—just as you’d imagine.
It’s also one of the most difficult courses that Electronic Arts has ever simulated—and not just because of its treacherous greens and sadistically placed hazards. The game automatically removes any clothing or equipment bonuses you may have added when you play in the Masters Moments mode, and when you finally arrive at the tournament proper in the career mode you’ll find yourself prohibited from using some of the game’s most frequently used special abilities, such as power boosts and real time spin control. The upshot is that each green hit is earned, each birdie a satisfying accomplishment.
But we’re not left to face Augusta completely disarmed. The other star of the game (sorry, Tiger, still not you) is a caddy who proudly wears your name on the back of his shirt.
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