After the Tiger Woods sex scandal broke, it was a bit surprising that Nike stayed loyal to the face of its golf line. But, by offering 23-year-old phenom Rory McIlroy a 10-year $250 million contract, is it possible that Tiger’s days may be waning? At the very least, Nike Golf is no longer dependent on the success of Woods to carry its brand for the next decade.

A new spot from W+K finds Tiger playing the “old guy,” challenging McIlroy to a chip shot contest reminiscent of McDonald’s classic Michaell Jordan/Larry Bird “Nothing but Net” campaign from the early 90s.  “No Cup is Safe” depicts Tiger as the wily veteran, with Rory as the new, young face of the PGA nipping at Woods’ heels. To be honest, it’s a bit uncomfortable to watch, as I’m sure it was for Tiger to shoot it. The sun may be setting all too soon on Tiger’s career, while Rory’s is just beginning. Perhaps Tiger offered some advice to Rory on set, some advice that no one bothered to give him 14 years ago when he was in the same situation as Rory is now.

It’s hard to see this spot as anything other than a “passing of the old guard,” which is probably what Nike asked for. It’s cute, but full of sadness and hope at the same time. Perhaps I’m making this a bigger deal than it actually is, but, as a fan of both athletes, it’s hard to imagine a world where these guys can coexist at the top of the professional golf ladder. Credits after the jump.

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During last night’s broadcast of AMC’s The Walking Dead, Electronic Arts debuted the above spot from DraftFCB SF for the new title coming to stores March 6, Mass Effect 3. Before you fret, realize that the spot aired after the Academy Awards ended, and many who felt like remaining on the couch (me included) flipped over just in time to see it.

Since debuting yesterday, the emotional spot depicting the end of the world, an alien invasion, and the battle for humanity’s survival has already chalked up more than 75,000 views on YouTube. Filmed over six days in Prague, “Fight for Everything” is, in a word, cinematic, so much so that it’s initially quite difficult to tell what exactly the spot is advertising. But it succeeds where it aims to, making ME:3 look enticing to gamers and non-gamers alike. Sure, it’s a little bit Halo and a little bit Star Wars, but that doesn’t make images of people running for their lives any less moving.

Also, since the Vancouver hockey riots of 2011, it’s hard to imagine a scene of mass chaos that doesn’t include two young people making out. Maybe that’s the “better with Kinect” feature Electronic Arts is hinting at. Credits after the jump.

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Talk about a day of creative shifts. Just in time for winter, Draftfcb is saving some northerners from the bitter cold and bringing them to sunny (and foggy) California.

Joining DraftFCB’s Orange County office as Taco Bell’s creative director (with a lot to live up to) is Adam Tompkins, who most recently served with Cliff Freeman and partners in New York. Having worked for Sugartown, Amalgamated and Ogilvy, Tompkins has done work for Dr. Pepper, Victoria’s Secret and is behind these charming spots for Quiznos.

Up in San Francisco, Draft is adding Jake Slody and Derrick Ho, who will serve as associate creative directors for Electronic Arts. Slody, who’s already been in San Francisco with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners for the past 3 years, will continue on as a copywriter, with his portfolio containing work for Sprint, Cheetos, Pepsi, and the UPS Store. The eight-year agency vet also worked as an instructor in the SF version of Miami Ad School and Academy of Art University.

Art director Ho comes back to Draftfcb SF after spending over a decade in Energy BBDO in Chicago, where he did work for Orbit, Canadian Club and the wildly successful Illinois Lottery. During his time at Elemet79 prior, Ho helped design numerous Gatorade advertisements featuring the brand’s long list of sports stars.