The rankings taught us a few things: The committee likes Cincinnati, but doesn't seem to be a big fan of BYU. And when the PGA Tour was formed as a separate organization from the PGA of America, the PGA Tour started its own tournament - The Players Championship. The majors are the majors because the golf world, for reasons historical and political and practical, have agreed to consider them majors. The modern idea of the Grand Slam didn’t begin to take hold until 1960, when Arnold Palmer won the Masters and U.S. Open, then lost by one shot at the Open Championship. By: Jason Lusk, Rhode Island might be best known for watersports and colonial towns, but the Ocean State has a surprisingly large golf presence, too – (…). Logistically speaking, making The Players a major would be a nightmare. That nugget speaks for itself. That, of course is nothing to scoff at. The LPGA and the PGA Tour Champions each have five majors and both suffer for the fact. Coming off the back of all the excitement of Sergio Garcia’s win at The Players Championships at Sawgrass, there have been repeated calls to acknowledge this event as the 5th major. Should the Players Championship become a major? Has this tournament's importance grown to the point where it will become known as a major itself? All Rights Reserved. ', Bielsa, Klopp shortlisted for FIFA men's coach of the year, Lampard: That's why I want Giroud to stay, Ferdinand abused over anti-racism documentary, Barca through without Messi; Ronaldo helps Juve advance, Zlatan, Bale want probe into FIFA game using their image. Starting in 2019, The Players will move back to March, giving it a more comfortable place on the schedule. • The Players Championship deserves official status as a major because increasing numbers of players, fans and media treat it as a major. We asked the same question last year and 54 per cent of you were in favour of the Players Championship becoming a major, but has McIlroy's thrilling one-shot win last year after a dramatic final round made the case even stronger? By using LiveAbout, you accept our, Golf Majors: These Are the Biggest Tournaments In Golf, LPGA Majors: History of the Major Championships in Women's Pro Golf, 7 Tournaments Where Arnold Palmer Had A Huge Impact On Golf, The Oldest Golfer Ever to Play on the PGA Tour, Sergio Garcia: Masters Champion and Ryder Cup Golf Star, Rory McIlroy: Biography of Ireland's Best Golfer, What You Need to Know About the 2020 British Open, switched from a sudden-death playoff format to a 3-hole, cumulative score format. And the prize pool is enormous: $15 million, with $2.7 million going to the winner. No, the Players Championship Is Not a Major. The playoff rankings will determine the four semifinalists and the New Year's Six bowl matchups. 2. Golf The Players Championship is not a major championship, but that doesn’t mean it’s a tournament every golfer doesn’t want to win. And there have indeed been a number of TPC Sawgrass moments that stand out in golf’s collective memory, with Better Than Most and Be the Right Club Today being the two most salient examples. That's a very major-y thing to do. The Players Championship isn’t a major, and it should be just fine with that PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 10: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his … For years, momentum has seemed to be pushing The Players Championship in the direction of becoming a major. Would all of those players suddenly have a major championship on their resume? Compared to other places where you can kind of put it on cruise control,” he said. Majors aren’t anointed via a checklist of what we think constitutes a great golf tournament. The tour runs it. The best field playing for the most money equals major championship. We would like your feedback, please fill in our survey. The tournament was switched from May back to March last year, with Rory McIlroy clearly enjoying the different conditions as the course played softer and longer. Rory McIlroy will get his chance this week and sees the challenge of winning back-to-back as a question of dealing with the course. Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland. LiveAbout uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. The Players Championship was born in 1974 (Jack Nicklaus won the first one), when it was known as the Tournament Players Championship, around the time the PGA Tour was breaking away from the PGA of America. It should also be noted that Duval is a Players champion himself, so his major championship total would double from one to two if the Players gained major status. Author: If it's such a big deal, why was it moved from March to May, then back to March this year? This golf course can play so differently day to day based on wind direction, conditions. There are no amateurs like at the Masters, no local qualifiers like at the two opens, and no field full of club pros like at the PGA Championship. Granting The Players major status would rewrite history, which would be tricky. The Players, though, has never been among them. Obviously the Players Championship is our championship. They are landmark points of reference. If Sarah Fuller plays for Vanderbilt on Saturday, it's believed that she would become be the first woman to log a snap in a Power 5 football game. Many PGA Tour members continue talking up the importance of the event. But can it ever officially become a major? In reality, nothing has changed vis-à-vis the Players. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images), PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 10: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 18th tee during a practice round prior to The PLAYERS Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 10, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. This week's The Players Championship has long been considered golf's unofficial fifth major. The change in date also put the event back as part of the Florida Swing and enabled it to launch a string of key tournaments in the schedule, with one major taking place each month following The Players. It is becoming harder to find reasons why this week's Players Championship will not eventually evolve to being a major, writes Iain Carter. The PGA created a "Tournament Players Division" to keep the tour players happy. If there can be five majors, then why not six? The PGA Tour's broadcasting partners devote more and more airtime to the event, and do the same "extras" (such as on-site studio shows) for the Players as they do for the four majors. The PGA of America had always run the professional tour events. With warmer, dryer temperatures in Florida during the month of May, the course started looking a little more brown than green. The PGA Championship will move from August to May, giving the Tour key events from March through the FedEx Cup Playoffs in August. If the Players … In 2003, Ernie Els said this: "The four majors are the most important. "It's our tournament," you hear PGA Tour players say. (CNN) It is known as golf's unofficial "fifth major," but the Players Championship has an identity problem. For better or for worse, majors are the main determinant in how we measure a golfer's career. “Even in 2018 when I had a big lead, I really didn’t feel comfortable until I hit it on the green on 17.”. Southgate: Players pressured by clubs over call-ups. Players Championship: Should the event become golf's fifth major? This, too, is valid. Golf has always had four majors, and even though the PGA Championship sometimes struggles with its own identity, it is the sport's fourth major, leaving no room for The Players. The Players Championship is often called golf's unofficial fifth major championship, but it has never officially been a major event. Adding a fifth major to the PGA Tour won't hurt anything. Although the men's major calendar has traditionally always consisted of the Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and The Open, the name and identity of majors in both women's and seniors' golf have changed over time. After rounds of 70–73, he closed out the year's last major with a 4-under 67, including a run … The iconic 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass has been the scene of plenty of drama over the years, Rory McIlroy displays the trophy following his victory in the 2019 Players Championship, Jon Rahm led going into the final round at TPC Sawgrass last year, Why Bruno let Rashford take pen; VDB stakes claim, 'Fury deal 98 per cent done - but talks stopped! On the flip side, despite dating back to before World War I, the PGA Championship didn’t always enjoy a place among golf’s holy quartet. Never will be.". It was only natural for touring pros to consider it an event of great importance. It annually boasts one of the PGA Tour's strongest fields according to world ranking, and has a long list of elite winners. This isn't like changing the NBA All-Star game format, where a tweak doesn't bring with it any significant ramifications. This week’s event at TPC Sawgrass used to be known as golf’s fifth major, but there’s clearly been a top-down, heavy-handed directive to drop the “fifth” and just refer to it as one of golf’s majors.

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