EA Sports first bagged the PGA Tour licence all the way back in 1990. It later released an astonishing 16 annual golf games named after Tiger Woods before the former champion’s star rapidly waned. In 2015 there was a brief dalliance with Rory McIlroy as figurehead and then the series petered out. Now it’s back to take full advantage of current-gen systems.

Unlike its forebears, this game is extremely generous with its courses. There are 28 real-world venues (including two of the most prestigious in Augusta and St Andrews) plus a couple of fantasy environments, and there’s a lavish roster of top male and female players. But considering the state of the game a week after release, cynics might wonder if it was rushed to coincide with this year’s Masters. 

Player customisation (historically a really big deal in this series) is laughably limited, the menus are buggy, there’s terrible lag when taking shots, and there’s no proper tutorial to explain how all the complex systems work. And yet it is the best-looking golf simulation around thanks to the heft of EA’s vast resources. Knowing the importance (and price) of the PGA licence, it’s hard to imagine the various issues won’t be fixed. But it was obviously released way too soon and currently sits in the rough.

Out now.