EA used to have larger cases for their games, later releases used standard sized ones.
Also, that's not the only thing different here: The larger box says 7 courses while the smaller one says 6. eBay auction photos suggest that the cart also has a different code on the lower right corner: 7155 (7 courses) versus 7155A (6 courses).
So does this mean there are
five variants?
Original release with EA Limited Edition sticker (Thicker box)
Original release without EA Limited Edition sticker (Thicker box)
Original release with It's In The Game sticker (Thicker box)
6 course release without EA sticker (Standard box)
6 course release with It's In The Game sticker (Standard box)