CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Tiger Woods is ready to hit the links at the Greenbrier - in the virtual world at least.
While the real Tiger Woods has yet to confirm or deny that he'll play in next month's Greenbrier Classic, video gamers can take a virtual version of the golf pro out for a spin on the Greenbrier's historic links any time they want.
The Greenbrier's Old White course is one of the featured courses on Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, released by EA Sports earlier this month on the PlayStation 3, Wii, xBox 360, and iPhone OS gaming systems.
Woods' PGA Tour gaming series is the top-selling golf video game in the world. The White Sulphur Springs course was one of five new courses added to this year's game, which features 28 courses overall.
For Greenbrier officials, who already have seen an increase in golf business as a result of the exposure from the Greenbrier Classic, being added to Woods' game is an additional boost to the prominence of the course.
They say the game can give potential golfers an idea of what to expect of the course before coming to the Greenbrier to play.
"This is a great way for people to get a preview of the Old White Course, and to see Tiger play it," Greenbrier Vice President Jeffrey Kmiec said.
Those who have played the course, both in the real and virtual worlds, concur with that assessment.
Ken Tackett, vice president of the West Virginia Golf Association, has played the Old White several times throughout the years. While he's not an active video game player, he bought PGA Tour 11 just to see how the virtual course compared to the real one.
"It really tells the story of the Old White," Tackett said. "It's always nice to see how realistic (the video game) does it, and it's really neat.
"I think it's great anytime you can showcase a course in West Virginia, especially the Old White, with all its history," he said. "It's nice to let the world see what we have to offer."
It remains unclear if Woods, who has been bogged down with struggles both on and off of the course this year, will play in next month's event.
"He has yet to say no," Greenbrier spokeswoman Lynn Swann said.
Woods and other golfers have until 5 p.m. July 23, to register to compete in the classic. The tournament winner receives a $1.08 million share of a $6 million total purse.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 is rated E for everyone and online or from video game stores at a retail price of $59.99 for PlayStation3 and xBox 360 and $49.99 for Nintendo Wii.
