Calamity Jane, the fabled putter of the Augusta National co-founder Bobby Jones, graces the cover of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13‘s special edition, along with the club’s signature Green Jacket. Oh yeah, some decent golfers also share the packshot of the main product on PS3 and Xbox 360.
For the third time* in as many years, Woods shares the cover of a game with his name on it. In the United States/NTSC regions, Woods is paired with American golfer Rickie Fowler. In Europe/PAL, he shares the cover with 2011 U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy of the U.K. Fowler and McIlroy were chosen for the cover by a fan-voted playoff earlier this year.
But it’s the nod to history that wins me over here. Jones had two putters named Calamity Jane. The first he retired from service in 1926, after it survived a fire that consumed the rest of his clubs in 1925. It is on display at Augusta. The second is the one he used to win golf’s original Grand Slam (the Open and Amateur championships in the U.S. and U.K.) in 1930.
“It is the worst putter I have ever held in my hands,” said the golf writer Charles Price. “If a pro left it in a barrel of clubs in his shop at a dollar apiece, nobody would buy it.” Jones won 13 major tournaments (as then classified) with the two putters; the second one was modelled to reflect the first, imperfections and all. Because of the ties to Augusta, we can assume the first Calamity Jane is the one depicted on the cover of the video game.
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, on the cover of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13‘s PAL edition.
Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler, on the cover of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13‘s NTSC edition.
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