The PGA Tour is returning to video games with former Alabama All-American Justin Thomas as the front man.
Thomas was announced as the cover golfer for 2K Sports PGA Tour 2K21 on Thursday.
Being chosen to be the first-ever cover athlete for the premiere PGA Tour 2K game is a tremendous honor, Thomas said. Im excited to join the 2K family and challenge players everywhere on the digital links. This is a great opportunity to introduce the PGA Tour experience to a larger and younger audience who love video games. Im very happy to be a part of that.
The PGA Tour has been out of gaming since EA Sports Rory McIlroy PGA Tour in 2015. The Golf Club 2019 was a 2K Sports product, but it didnt feature PGA Tour players.
Thomas is one of the 12 PGA Tour pros that players can hit the course as in PGA Tour 2K21. It also features 15 PGA Tour courses.
PGA Tour 2K21 will release Aug. 21 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Steam and Google Stadia.
Thomas said the courses are the best part of the game.
To be able to play some of these amazing courses in a video game, and how realistic they are nowadays and how realistic PGA Tour 2K21 is, you feel like youre there, Thomas told the Washington Post. So then Im out in this tournament, I have the same shot. And as crazy as it (sounds), but its really the world we live in these days, its like: Ive had that shot. Or I see that shot in the video game and hes screwed. Hes got no chance. Its just another way for fans and other people to be able to relate to us and get as close as they can get.
Thomas said some facets of the game can help his preparation for a course.
It can help little things, like the slopes on the greens, Thomas said. Thats all very, very realistic and accurate. Bunkers, maybe, when youre down in there, what you see, when you dont see anything. Its like, all right, stay out of that or that type of thing. But, obviously, the lies, the feel of the wind on one direction of your body, that kind of stuff, you obviously cant replicate it in any video game.
The PGA Tour halted its schedule on March 13 after the first round of the Players Championship because of the coronavirus pandemic. The PGA Tour will resume on June 11 with the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.
Thomas had won two of the eight official PGA Tour events hed entered and ranked second in the FedEx Cup standings this season when the schedule stopped. Thomas won the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges on Oct. 20 and the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Jan. 5.
Thomas will return to play at No. 4 in the World Golf Ranking, behind McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka.
At Alabama, Thomas was the National Player of the Year in 2012 and a member of the Crimson Tides national-championship team in 2013.
Thomas has 12 career PGA Tour victories, including the PGA Championship in 2017, when he was the PGA Tour Player of the Year and captured the FedEx Cup.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.
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Justin Thomas out front in PGA Tours return to video games - AL.com
