EA Sports today announced that PGA Tour has partnered with the Ladies Professional Golf Association, adding The Amundi Evian Championship to the game and more female players to the roster. After a seven year absence from the golf sim scene, EA will return with PGA Tour in Spring 2022, bringing the LPGA Tour and a selection of the best female pros with it.
As well as the LPGA Tour, the The Amundi Evian Championship held at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France, will also be present. GolfTV
and Sky Sports broadcaster and former pro golfer Iona Stephen was one of the heads behind the addition of the LPGA, and Stephen will also be the first female commentator in the series' history when the game launches next year.
Related: FIFA 22's Create A Club Could Be The Best Thing To Happen To Career Mode In Years“I’m incredibly excited that EA Sports PGA Tour laid out a vision to represent female athletes and the LPGA in the game,” Stephensaid in a press release. “My goal in helping EA is to give women the satisfaction of playing a quality golf game while seeing themselves in a variety of ways that go beyond a handful of female character models.”
Jin Young Ko, winner of The Amundi Evian Championship in 2019, has also been confirmed to appear in the game. “I’m beyond excited to be included as one of the female golfers in EA Sports PGA Tour,” Ko said of the reveal. “Women’s golf is growing so fast and having us included in this game is a great opportunity to reach fans all around the world. I can’t wait to see how it turns out – and I can’t wait to play the game!”
These female golfers can be used in a variety of game modes away from the Amundi Evian Championship, and will be available at the start of the game rather than unlocked via progression. EA has also promised that several more championships will be revealed ahead of launch, and that the the LPGA partnership is "long term," meaning we will likely see more golfers, courses, and championships added in future seasons.
In similar news, 2K recently revealed that WNBA star Candace Parker will be available on special edition covers of NBA 2K22 – the WNBA has been featured in the game for a few years now, but it has been exclusively male players on the cover. FIFA was the first major sports sim to include female athletes on the cover when the US version of FIFA 16 featured Alex Morgan, while the Canadian version and Australian versions starred Christine Sinclair and Stephanie Catley respectively.
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