The top golfer in the world is finally getting his own console video game.
Publisher Electronic Arts revealed today that it is going with four-time major champion Rory McIlroy to headline its next golf game. Rory McIlroy PGA Tour debuts on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in June.
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This represents a return for EA’s golfing franchise after dropping Tiger Woods in 2013 after releasing Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14. This came three years after a number of other companies and brands (like AT&T, Gatorade, and GM) dropped Woods in 2010 following an infidelity scandal. But Woods’ performance on the PGA Tour has slipped, and he hasn’t won a major tournament since 2008. EA likely didn’t want to keep spending money on a Woods deal when it appears like his career is on the decline.
McIlroy is Wood’s logical replacement. He has topped the player rankings for the last 33 weeks. He has won the U.S. Open and The Open Championship –and the PGA Championship twice. He is still chasing after a Masters win, but the fact that he hasn’t won a green jacket likely means that he isn’t nearly as expensive for EA as Woods was, and they’ll stand to benefit if he does claim one in the next few years.
Also, McIlroy is really skilled at tossing his golf clubs — something else that Tiger has been known to do.
