How South Park triggered Tiger Woods’ first public scandal 27 years ago
May 13, 2012 - Ponte Vedra, Florida, USA - Tiger Woods during the final round of the Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass on May 13, 2012 in Ponte Vedra, Fla. ..ZUMA PRESS/ Scott A. Miller. Copyright: xScottxA.xMillerx
May 13, 2012 - Ponte Vedra, Florida, USA - Tiger Woods during the final round of the Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass on May 13, 2012 in Ponte Vedra, Fla. ..ZUMA PRESS/ Scott A. Miller. Copyright: xScottxA.xMillerx
Out of all the things, it was an EA Sports game that caused Tiger Woods’ first public scandal. An unexpected discovery caused all the controversy 27 years back.
In 1998, EA Sports released a video game called Tiger Woods 99: PGA Golf Tour. An EA employee, who was a fan of the television series South Park, decided to sneak in an Easter Egg, a hidden file labeled ZZDUMMY.DAT.
A young Tiger Woods fan received the game as a gift from his mother. However, it was the PlayStation version, and he unknowingly put it in his PC.
The game shipped on PlayStation, but the hidden file was only accessible on PC. It was the mistake that would trigger the scandal.
Upon clicking the file, a VHS recording of an early South Park short, The Spirit of Christmas, by Trey Parker and Matt Stone would play, as reported by Tony Alpsen of VICE.
February 16, 2025, La Jolla, California, USA: Tournament host TIGER WOODS made an appearance on the driving range during the morning of the final round of the 2025 Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California. La Jolla USA - ZUMAt158 20250216_zsp_t158_077 Copyright: xBrentonxTsex
February 16, 2025, La Jolla, California, USA: Tournament host TIGER WOODS made an appearance on the driving range during the morning of the final round of the 2025 Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California. La Jolla USA - ZUMAt158 20250216_zsp_t158_077 Copyright: xBrentonxTsex
That’s what the young kid did, and he heard foul language throughout the five-min short. He made sure to let his mother know, and she went on to file a complaint.
In January 1999, EA recalled the first 100,000 copies, labeling the video offensive to consumers.
The EA employee later admitted they had added the video to fill unused disk space because they were unable to create a proper dummy file. It was a fatal mistake as it resulted in their expulsion from the company.
This is how Woods’ first public scandal came to be, and he had nothing to do with it. However, the former World No.1 was over the moon about the game’s release.
How Woods Became the Face of EA Sports
It was February 1998. Tiger Woods had taken the mantle the previous year in record-breaking fashion by winning his first major title in Augusta.
EA did not miss this opportunity, creating a game focused on the legendary golfer.
“I’ve played video and computer games for many years, but this is the first time I’ve ever been able to say, ‘This is my game,’” Tiger said upon the product’s release, as per Golf Digest.
Reportedly, it was a $10 million deal that spanned across four years. At that time, the deal was being claimed as the company's highest-priced.
“There’s no waiting time between shots on a hole,” wrote Andrew Parsons, a reviewer for PlayStation Magazine. “This alone makes Tiger Woods 99 a special golf game. When EA tries, they don’t just beat the competition — they totally cream them.”
The game became highly popular. However, the Jesus vs. Santa video did bring in some negative feedback in the beginning.
What are your thoughts on Tiger Woods’ first public scandal? Share them in the comments.
Read more at Daily Club Golf!
Written by
Avishek Sarkar
Edited by
Kaamna Dwivedi