EA '14: Your Chance To "Take Down" A Cross-Eyed Bobby Jones, A Juiced Arnold Palmer & An Almost Anorexic Jack Nicklaus

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Besides getting to play legends using swings and physiques with which we are unfamiliar, the EA press info says they allow you to "tweak" courses on this edition.

Players, fill us in. Maybe there's a way to de-Fazio Augusta and Riviera? Reesnovate Torrey South? De-Dawson the Old Course?

Here's the preview for the March release of EA Sports' Tiger Woods '14:

Tiger's 2012 Assessment Of Tiger, Edgar's Dinner Speech

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TigerWoods.com lands the exclusive year-end wrap-up by Tiger Woods where the buried lede was the news of his Foundation taking over management of the Deutsche Bank Championship. Oh, and of course, Tiger's immense joy upon hearing the news of Tom Watson's Ryder Cup captaincy.

But the best part was Tiger's posting of the emotional Edgar Perez speech that we'd heard about during the World Challenge this year. This ought to motivate you...

Guy Who Erected Dinosaurs: "I would prefer to have Peter Senior than Tiger Woods."

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The dinosaur thing was cute as was the locking out of tournament officials on the eve of the tournament, but now resort owner Clive Palmer tells Brent Read in a wide-ranging and completely disastrous Q&A that even if he gets the Australian PGA back next year (he won't), Tiger would not be his first choice.

But at least he lays the groundwork for Tiger to entertain the idea….

"Tiger Woods isn't the No 1 golfer in the world any more," Palmer said. "We don't want to look backwards, we want to look forwards. So why would you get Tiger Woods here? I would prefer to have Peter Senior than Tiger Woods.

"I am sure Peter Senior could beat Tiger Woods on a good day. I am sure he could.

"Tiger Woods has improved a lot but he's an emotional wreck and he's not a good example for kids, anyway."

As for McIlroy, Palmer said: "If you rang him now he would probably tell you unless it's at Palmer Coolum Resort, I won't come.

"We can be sure he won't come if it goes somewhere else."

Tiger: ''I'd like to congratulate Tom Watson on his selection as Ryder Cup captain"

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From Doug Ferguson's AP story on Tom Watson's selection as Ryder Cup captain:

''I'd like to congratulate Tom Watson on his selection as Ryder Cup captain,'' Woods said in a statement. ''I think he's a really good choice. Tom knows what it takes to win, and that's our ultimate goal. I hope I have the privilege of joining him on the 2014 United States team.''

Tom Watson And Tiger Woods: No Bromance Here

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This will add to the team room fun should Tom Watson be named 2014 Ryder Cup Captain on Thursday, as Tim Rosaforte reports. Because, after all, Watson will likely helm a squad including Tiger Woods barring an unforseen, fall 2014 flare-up in his Achilles!

Just a reminder of the nice bond these two share:

February, 2010, Watson on Woods:

“I feel that he has not carried the same stature that other great players that have come along like Jack (Nicklaus), Arnold (Palmer), Byron Nelson, the Hogans, in the sense that there was language and club throwing on the golf course,” said Watson, a playoff loser to Stewart Cink at last year’s British Open.

 “You can grant that of a young person that has not been out here for a while. But I think he needs to clean up his act and show the respect for the game that other people before him have shown.”

At the 2010 U.S. Open when they shared the tenth tee together. Karen Crouse wrote:

As they waited to hit, neither Watson nor Woods exchanged glances, much less niceties, their cold shoulders turning the tee into an outdoor icebox. The distance between them was accentuated when the golfer Jason Gore made his way to the hole and received a warm hello and a hug from Woods who, like Watson, has won a United States Open here.

Standing between Woods and Watson like a buffer was another Stanford golfer, Joseph Bramlett, who was playing with his childhood idol, Woods, two days after going through graduation ceremonies. It was three generations of Cardinal golfing royalty sharing a moment that could have been captured only by the widest of wide-angle lenses.

July, 2010, Watson:

“His life is a lot more complicated now. He doesn’t hear
 that absolute silence when he’s playing, and he mentioned when 
he’s playing his best he hears nothing,” the American 
eight-times major winner told a news conference on Wednesday. “I’m sure there are things going on in his mind that make it 
very difficult for him.”

Yet it was Tiger who was the gentleman at the 2010 Open Championship, waving Watson's group up so that the legend could finish Friday evening in the late light.

This AP image by Alistair Grant is the only photo I can find of the two sharing the same general vicinity.

There's also the video where Watson's disdain for his fellow Stanford alum comes shining through.

 

Take That Rory: Tiger Created $6 Million More In '12 Sponsor Media Value!

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Leave it to Forbes to come up with a beauty. Kurt Badenhausen reports:

Woods generated $18.9 million in media value for his sponsors, Nike and Fuse Science, during U.S. golf telecasts this year, while racking up three PGA Tour victories. Nike alone commanded $18.1 million of the total based on a Repucom formula that calculates time and clarity on the screen of logos, as well as the cost to reach that audience. Woods is unusual in that he is outfitted head to toe in Nike and also uses the equipment of the Beaverton, Ore. sports giant. The Fuse Science logo is only on his golf bag. McIlroy’s sponsors, primarily Jumeirah, Oakley, Titleist, Footjoy and Audemars Piguet, received $12.9 million of value.

So Tiger's got this going for him.

“Tiger’s generally strong, consistent play, combined with him simply getting coverage because he is Tiger Woods, generated tremendous value for his sponsors,” says Repucom executive Peter Laatz.

Ranked behind Woods and McIlroy are Phil Mickelson ($11.8 million), Jim Furyk ($8.5 million) and Louis Oosthuizen ($8.2 million), whose second place finish at the Masters is responsible for 72% of his value.

Oh yeah, I'm feeling really good about these numbers.