Even in Augusta you have to move with the times

Augusta National Golf Club isn’t known for being too skittish. It wasn’t until 1974 that Lee Elder became the first black golfer to participate in the US Masters, and it took another 16 years for Ron Townsend to become the first black member. Women had to wait longer. In 2012, former US politician Condoleezza Rice became the first woman to join the elite club.

But even in Augusta you have to keep up with the times, and so at the start of the week of the American Masters 2023, the champion of the “EA Sports Road to the Masters Invitational” was determined for the first time. The players cheered the mostly young crowd as loud music, cheering and shouting flooded the press center where the two-hour event took place. So it will be very different than it will be for the rest of the week.

The EA Sports PGA Tour: Road to the Masters goes on sale worldwide on Friday and will likely be the only chance for most golf fans to ever set foot on Augusta National Greens — digitally, after all. For this, the developers have treated the course as honestly as possible in the game. To ensure that every tree and every larger plant is in the right place, the Augusta developers received software that the club uses to plant trees and shrubs. Golf professional Tony Finau, who also appears in the game, was impressed. “Even the avatars that were used are as real as I have ever seen.”

Tony Finau is happy to warm up spectators at the Games event at the 2023 US Masters. (Photo: US Masters)

“This indicates keeping up with the times.”

The game is played by four teams, each made up of two players, including golfers Finau and Lexi Thompson, as well as players Garrett Hilbert and TimTheTatman. However, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who qualified for the Finals with teammate Iona Stephens, received the biggest applause. However, there country music superstar Eric Church and golf content creator Roger Steele were very strong and won twice par on the three holes at Amen Corner.

“The fact that Augusta is open to new and innovative experiences in golf to make sure people are interested in golf and ready to give it a try is great,” said Steele. “This shows that they are moving with the times.”