Golf's Fifth Major

[iacas]

I just wrote something about The Players Championship as golf's fifth major. My opinion: ain't no way in heck.

I have two question for you:

1) Is The Players Championship golf's fifth major?

2) If you were czar of all things golf, and you had to choose a tournament as the fifth major, which tournament would it be?


My answers, clearly, are "no" and if I were forced to, I still don't think I'd choose The Players. I think I might instead choose the WGC-Amex (which, I believe, comes to Doral next year and which Tiger won at Harding Park last year over John Daly). It's a stroke-play, great-field event that invites players who aren't necessarily strictly PGA Tour members.

But that's only if I was absolutely forced to pick. Four is the magic number, and until something drastic changes, that four is The Masters, the US Open, THE Open, and the PGA.

[muskegman]

The PGA certainly wants us to believe that the Player's Championship is big stuff and writers speak of it as the "Fifth Major." I agree that its a great championship and one that all top-tier players would want to win. Its great because its an awesome venue, a great course, and the best players want to win it (and very often do).

Another thing to consider is that you'd have to make the Grand Slam a five event achievment which doesn't seem reasonable. Jones "only" had to win the four majors for the grand slam and that should continue as an important, but lofty, goal for future professionals.

It is a great tournament but not a major. That doesn't take anything away from its greatness either... its just not a major.

[Thrash13]

If there was a fifth major in golf, The Players Championship would certainly be it. Just ask the players themselves. That's usually the best source I have.

Once the tournament is moved to May in 2007, the event will be even better. The course is great, the field is great, and the history is becoming greater every year. The weather has been the only downfall, and the move to May should help that out greatly.

So there is no doubt it would be the fifth major.

That being said, I agree with both of you that there should only be four major championships. And the four current ones are the correct ones. I love The Players Championship as much as the next guy, but four majors is enough.

[jeffgladchun]

There's no room for a fifth major. For as long as there have been majors, there have never been more than 4. In Bobby Jones' day it was the US and British Opens and Amateurs, in Hogan's day there were really only 3.5 majors as the British Open had lost a ton of popularity and not many American golfers played in it.

There's no way the Player's is a major, although its probably the closest tournament to being one. However, if I were to pick the 5th major I think I'd have to go with the US Amateur, I just love that tournament.