I grew up playing Tiger Woods games, I was shocked to become a cover star alongside him

Matt Fitzpatrick was left shocked by the decision to make him a cover star for PGA TOUR 2K25 alongside the legendary Tiger Woods.

The English golfer stars next to Woods and Max Homa on the standard and deluxe editions of golf’s most popular video game this year.

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Fitpatrick has battled Woods on the golf course numerous times in recent yearsCredit: Getty
The PGA Tour 2K franchise was originally known as ‘The Golf Club’, launching in 2014 to replace the famous ‘Tiger Woods PGA Tour’ series, which ran from 1999 to 2013.

Like many golf fans, Fitzpatrick grew up playing the iconic games built around 15-time major winner Woods.

And now he is a cover star himself.

Reacting to the news on talkSPORT, the Ryder Cup star said: “Yeah, it’s pretty special. Really special.

“I grew up playing the game, so to be on the front, particularly with Tiger, it’s incredible, really.

“I was pretty shocked when I found out that I was on the cover.”

Fitzpatrick made a name for himself in the amateur ranks and on the European circuit before claiming his maiden major victory at the 2022 US Open.

The world no.48 was also a standout player for Europe during their 2023 Ryder Cup win over Team USA.

During his rise to fame, Fitzpatrick developed a reputation for his meticulous attention to detail.

The 30-year-old logs statistics for every single shot he hits, not just in competitive rounds, but also in practice.

Grew up playing these games, blows my mind I’m on the cover! Thank you @PGATOUR2K https://t.co/O0sziknXaI

— Matt Fitzpatrick (@MattFitz94) January 13, 2025\n\n\n”,”width”:550,”height”:550,”provider”:”twitter”,”attribs”:{“data-tweetid”:”1878862839882141791″}}” data-provider=”twitter” data-widget-name=”embed” data-widget-id=”embed-7ef3036f”>

“I kind of grew up always doing that,” Fitzpatrick said. “My dad was quite analytical in his job. For me, it’s just something that I’ve always enjoyed. I’ve always found it interesting.

“I think just being able to find out where I can improve is always exciting to me. But also seeing where I’m good as well, I always like knowing that too. So it’s just something I’ve always grown up with. And just a continuation of that, as I’ve got older, I’ve just got deeper into it.”

Fitzpatrick is currently preparing for this week’s WM Phoenix Open – and explained how notes from previous years will help him get ready to compete at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course.

“I’ll probably only go back two or three years because past that, my game was kind of in a different place,” the Englishman added.

“I was a different player. This is my third year playing this tournament. So I’ll look at the last three years.

“What did I do well? What didn’t I do well? And aim to improve that. Maybe it’s strategy. Maybe it’s just general play.

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Fitzpatrick is a major champion and a two-time PGA Tour winnerCredit: Getty
“But I’ll use those notes to figure out where I need to do better.”

Fitzpatrick is also a competitor in TGL – golf’s new simulator league created by Rory McIlroy and Woods with the help of sports executive Mike McCarley.

His debut with New York Golf Club on the opening night resulted in a heavy defeat, but Fitzpatrick enjoyed the unique experience.

He said: “It’s great. It’s been really fun, actually. It’s really enjoyable to play. It’s something different.

“It’s obviously not the usual golf and fortunately it’s 10 minutes from my house [in Florida], which is a nice added bonus.

“But system and the green… how it moves and turns is amazing.

“The turf that we’re hitting off, you can really hit some crazy shots and I think that’s what makes it exciting.

“My team hasn’t had the best start, but I think when we do get going, hopefully we’ll get a few more wins.”

What is TGL?

Simply put, TGL is an indoor simulator golf league featuring the game’s top players.

It takes place at a super high-tech arena called the SoFi Centre in Florida with a live crowd of around 1,500 people.

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods were the ones who came up with it, with the help of a guy called Mike McCarley, as part of their TMWR Sports venture.

It’s got a bunch of big-name investors, like Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton, and Fenway Sports Group – who own Liverpool. ESPN and Sky Sports signed up to broadcast it.

How do they compete?

There’s six teams of four, all franchises based on US cities, and all featuring top PGA Tour players. No LIV Golfers.

There is one head-to-head match each week lasting just two hours for a primetime TV slot in the States.

There is also a 40-second shot clock and timeouts and referees to enforce the rules. All of the players are mic’d up to ensure maximum entertainment value.

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McIlroy has described the concept as ‘golf reimagined’Credit: Getty
How does it work?

For shots longer than 50 yards, players hit into this enormous screen, which is 53 foot tall and 64 foot wide.

That’s about 24 times the size of your normal golf simulator. They play off real grass, the rough and the fairways are reflected on the surface, and it even moves to reflect the slope.

The green complex has 600 motorised sensors underneath it and 360 degree rotation to simulate the exact real life scenario facing the players.

The bunkers have the same sand as Augusta National, and they’ve even thought about the direction of the grain around the greens.

Format

Each team picks three players, they play 15 holes. The first nine holes are ‘Trebles’ – three-on-three matchplay, with each player taking turns to hit the shots.

The final six holes are ‘Singles’ – one-on-one matchplay with each player playing 2 holes.

If it’s all square after 15, they go to overtime and play closest to the pin.

Teams get two points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win, one point for an overtime loss, and zero points for a regulation loss.

There will be Play-Offs in March with semi-finals and a final to determine the league’s overall winner – with a $21million purse to be divided among players.

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The league is designed to move golf into a new tech-based futureCredit: Getty

Teams

Atlanta Drive GC
• Patrick Cantlay
• Lucas Glover
• Billy Horschel
• Justin Thomas

Boston Common Golf
• Keegan Bradley
• Hideki Matsuyama
• Rory McIlroy
• Adam Scott

The Bay Golf Club
• Ludvig Aberg
• Wyndham Clark
• Shane Lowry
• Min Woo Lee

Jupiter Links Golf Club
• Max Homa
• Tom Kim
• Kevin Kisner
• Tiger Woods

Los Angeles Golf Club
• Tommy Fleetwood
• Collin Morikawa
• Justin Rose
• Sahith Theegala

New York Golf Club
• Matt Fitzpatrick
• Rickie Fowler
• Xander Schauffele
• Cameron Young