Apparently, the scent has actually been bred out of most azalea blossoms.  But that’s not the point.  The flowering shrub and the golf course that helped make it famous – Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters – will be featured prominently in Tiger Woods PGA Tour ’12.

I have but one response:

WOOT.

Any videogame golf aficionado knows that Augusta – quite possibly, along with Pebble Beach and St. Andrews, the world’s most famous golf course – has been the most-requested addition of any golf game over the last decade.  The folks who run Augusta, though, are famously protective of their image, and to date haven’t allowed any representation of their pride and joy that was less than perfect in any way.

And as a golf game nut, that’s what has me so excited about this.  That protectiveness likely means that Augusta in Tiger Woods ’12 will need to be near-perfect to pass muster.  Not only can I finally play the world’s most exclusive and picturesque golf course from the comfort of my couch, but it’s also very likely to be an amazing experience.  About as good as it gets without actually being there, anyway – which is a notorious difficult achievement whether as a player or a spectator.

Is it March 29th yet?