It has been six years since EA Sports last released their latest version of the golf franchise PGA Tour. Up until 2015, EA Sports had released an edition of the game every year since 1994, but after the game developers cut ties with Tiger Woods, PGA Tour’s popularity went off a cliff.
EA Sports Must Use Hideki’s Matsuyama’s Masters Win to Revive Failed PGA Tour Franchise
Indeed, Rory Mcllroy was the final cover star of the last edition of the game, which was released on July the 14th 2015. After an underwhelming sales performance, the game was canned as Electronic Arts sought to save costs.
Of course, gamers may have found a free alternative to PGA Tour on the PS4 but nothing really compares to the in-depth masterpiece that golfers have grown to love.
Indeed, it was undoubtedly a blow to every avid golfer who had religiously bought the game over the course of 21 years, and the hiatus since its last release has been a surprise to many.
Normally this type of restructuring takes 24 months at the absolute maximum, so it’s fair to say that many have given up on EA Sports ever releasing another PGA Tour, given that it’s been 71 months since the game last hit shelves.
But the opportunity for Electronic Arts to revive their failed PGA Tour franchise has presented itself after Hideki Matsuyama won the 85th edition of the prestigious Masters tournament and, in doing so, became the first-ever Japanese man to win a major.
Matsuyama’s win sent Japan into ecstasy in the early hours of a morning that few will ever forget. It’s hard to gauge what the knock-on effect of Matsuyama’s Masters triumph will be but one can assume that it will be nothing short of huge.
Even before the 29-year-old claimed the green jacket at Augusta National, golf in Japan was a sport that the population had taken to. Indeed, half the golf courses in Asia can be found in the Land of the Rising Sun, which gives you a sense of the uptake amongst the Japanese.
So in many ways, there was very much a captive golf audience already in Japan, with the nation waiting patiently for their first-ever major champion.
Hideki Matsuyama’s story 🇯🇵
🎥 via @PGATOUR pic.twitter.com/icw7opWjkO
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) April 12, 2021
Now that they have their hero, you can imagine how much future generations will be inspired to replicate his stunning feat. But it’s not only Japan that will feel some sort of connection to Matsuyama’s win but rather the whole of Asia.
After all, this is a continent that, despite its population size of 4.5 billion, has only ever produced two major champions, with Y. E. Yang’s PGA Championship win in 2009 being the first.
Matsuyama’s Masters win will surely bring a sense of pride to most parts of Asia, which ultimately means that the door is now ajar for EA Sports to walk through and resuscitate their failing golf franchise by capitalizing on this rare achievement by an Asian golfer.
A revamped PGA Tour with Matsuyama on the cover will breathe life into the game and unquestionably capture the attention of the Asian gaming and golf community.
Indeed, the world has grown tired of seeing the same old faces as the representatives of the game of golf. The time has come for change and Matsuyama’s Augusta wizardry should be the catalyst for it.
Additionally, there isn’t a sports star on the planet who is currently more famous than Hideki Matsuyama when you consider that the greatest names in the world of sport are talking about him.
Steph Curry is one of those who was tweeting about Matsuyama after his Masters win, with the all-time leading scorer for the Golden State Warriors praising the Japanese player for becoming the first major champion in his country’s history.
Indeed, if anyone knows what it is like to break records and the responsibility that comes with that, Curry does. Although, at 60/1 in NBA betting to win the 2021 regular season MVP, it doesn’t look like the 33-year-old will add a third title to his name this season.
1st Men’s Major Champ in your country’s history 🙌🏽. Big ups Hideki https://t.co/ToSxLyzS5e
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) April 12, 2021
With that said, the fact that Matsuyama is courting the acclaim that he currently is from the greats of the sporting world speaks volumes, proving once again that it is certainly time to make hay whilst the sun shines.
Indeed, it’s hard to imagine that EA sports will ever get a better chance to save their ailing PGA Tour franchise than the one they have been given now. The legendary game developers need to spring into life and become the pioneers of a new narrative in golf.