2014 Players Championship Discussion Thread

[CarlSpackler]

Tough call. Everything seems to be up in the air this year. It's one of my favorite tournaments though.

[clutchshot]

I'd really like to see Speith, Rory, or Phil take it.

[phan52]

There was a lot of discussion on the Golf Channel this week that the PGA Tour should just go ahead and anoint The Players as a Major. One good point they make is that other entities pretty much control the other Majors (Augusta, USGA, R&A;, PGA of America) and that the PGA Tour should have a seat at the table. It would take the media to get on board, but they have a point. It's probably the best overall full field of the year.

[saevel25]

I don't mind it as a 5th major, though It might be changed to become a tad harder in my opinion. I think -17 won it one year, and that is just way to high for a major.

I'd like to see Rory win it. Though that course gets windy, and it's target golf off the tee. I don't find it to be a course that fits Rory's game. If he can get off the tee. I think with his length, he should 3 wood all week. If he gets in the fairway he has the height on his shots to challenge that course.

It's not really a long course, so I would suspect players like Zach Johnson and Jim Furyk should do well.

[rightdraw]

I'm excited for this week, I hope we get a bunch of good players in the hunt on Sunday. The last few weeks it seems like only 2 or 3 have really been in it. I would like to see 6 or 7 have a shot at the win, with some of the big names in the mix with some less knowns also.

[foreleft]

Interesting deal with the OWGR this week. If Adam Scott doesn't play at all, he goes to #1. If he tees it up, he needs T-16 or better to overtake Tiger.

[Golfingdad]

There was a lot of discussion on the Golf Channel this week that the PGA Tour should just go ahead and anoint The Players as a Major. One good point they make is that other entities pretty much control the other Majors (Augusta, USGA, R&A;, PGA of America) and that the PGA Tour should have a seat at the table. It would take the media to get on board, but they have a point. It's probably the best overall full field of the year.

Yeah, I saw that as well and I agree that they do make a good case.  I'm kind of ambivalent about the idea but I think the Players is probably better off just like it is.  One of the players being interviewed said he liked it as it is because "its kind of in its own category," and I think that is spot on.  If they called it a major, there is no doubt that it would be considered by most as the 5th one, or consequently, the least important one.  I think they're better off where they are, with everybody arguing towards them being deserving of being called a major, thus falling into the category of "under-rated."  If they were considered a major, some would like it and others wouldn't.  The buzz would lean more towards it being "over-rated" and thus the publicity would be a bit more negative.

I owuld be OK with them calling it a major, but it's fine like it is as well.

[jamo]

I don't mind it as a 5th major, though It might be changed to become a tad harder in my opinion. I think -17 won it one year, and that is just way to high for a major.

Tiger won The Masters with a score of -18 in 1997. Ray Floyd (1976) and Jack (1965) won at -17. It's not even strictly a long time ago either. Phil won at -16 in 2010 (as did Tiger in 2011), Charl won at -14 in 2011, etc. No doubt the winning score at the Players is generally lower than the winning scores at other majors (you missed Greg Norman's -24 in 1994, after all), but I don't know if that necessarily disqualifies the event from major status. There's also a bit of selection bias there: the Players doesn't play super hard in part because it doesn't have the expectation of playing super hard. I wouldn't mind adding it as a fifth major, but the line drawing gets tricky. Do you go all the way back to the inaugural tournament in 1974, or just back to 1982, when they started playing at TPC Sawgrass? It also completely throws a wrench in comparing players based on majors. Depending on where you draw the line I just mentioned, Tiger would either gain two majors or lose one major on Jack (who won three times, but never at TPC Sawgrass). And then if there are five majors today (or seven, if we're counting the Amateur events), are we retroactively adding older prominent events to even it out for the older guys? Both the Western Open and North and South Open had if not major-level status then Players-level status.

[Gunther]

Interesting deal with the OWGR this week. If Adam Scott doesn't play at all, he goes to #1. If he tees it up, he needs T-16 or better to overtake Tiger.

Actually, I read where 4 players have a shot at #1 this week: Scott T16 Stenson T6 (surprised cuz he's not done much this year) Bubba 2nd alone Kuch Win Interesting.

[Thrash13]

It was pretty funny when Adam Scott jokingly told everyone in his press conference bye when he found he could rise to #1 without playing this week.  I'd love to see him contend and earn the #1 ranking on the course.  Then again, I wouldn't gripe about Bubba or Kuchar becoming #1 either.  It definitely spices things up though, and that will make things even more interesting.

I'm sure it won't be long before Jordan Spieth is battling for the #1 spot in the OWGR..  I expect him to do well this week just like every other week.

[skydog]

I really enjoy the spectacle that is The Players but make no mistake- Sawgrass is very much a contrived course and if the golf world decided to somehow dub this as a true Major, then that too would be a a contrived and token gesture that would weaken the integrity of major championships in the sport. The majors in the game were established organically and by long-standing tradition, the golf channel and the media can't just come together and call someting a major because they want to for their own benefit.

[3putter]

I really enjoy the spectacle that is The Players but make no mistake- Sawgrass is very much a contrived course and if the golf world decided to somehow dub this as a true Major, then that too would be a a contrived and token gesture that would weaken the integrity of major championships in the sport. The majors in the game were established organically and by long-standing tradition, the golf channel and the media can't just come together and call someting a major because they want to for their own benefit.

Didn't those traditions start at some point too, or did Old Tom Morris write it somewhere that only certain events be played as major? I'm sure tradition can be added/improved upon.

*Rant time* I feel part of golf's problem lies with it's "clinginess" to traditions, much like religion. See some of it's moronic rules. *Rant over*

I certainly don't see why a field as deep as the players can't be considered a fifth major. I certainly don't think some "tradition" should keep that from happening.

[Golfingdad]

I really enjoy the spectacle that is The Players but make no mistake- Sawgrass is very much a contrived course and if the golf world decided to somehow dub this as a true Major, then that too would be a a contrived and token gesture that would weaken the integrity of major championships in the sport. The majors in the game were established organically and by long-standing tradition, the golf channel and the media can't just come together and call someting a major because they want to for their own benefit.

Sure they can.  All of the majors were "contrived" at some point.

This reminds me of a sign that used to be on the wall here at our (civil engineering) office:

A 'developer' is somebody who wants to build his mountain cabin today.

An 'environmentalist' is somebody who built his mountain cabin yesterday.

And instead of going on, I see that @3putter said it pretty well.

[skydog]

Yes, the genesis of the four major championships were not decreed from God to Abraham and their traditions had  to start somewhere, but they were not contrived by the media to drive ratings and interest in the event. Sorry if you disagree, but it would feel nothing but manipulative if the media tried to re-shape the major landscape by deciding that The Players is a major.

[rightdraw]

Yes, the genesis of the four major championships were not decreed from God to Abraham and their traditions had  to start somewhere, but they were not contrived by the media to drive ratings and interest in the event. Sorry if you disagree, but it would feel nothing but manipulative if the media tried to re-shape the major landscape by deciding that The Players is a major.

I may be wrong, but didn't the US Amateur  and British Amateur also used to be considered majors? I don't believe most people consider these to be major's any more. The definition of a major has changed over time and I believe was created by the media.

I don't really care either way, but The Players is one of the best fields in golf and if it had the longer tradition of some of the existing majors it might be consider one already.

[Shindig]

I may be wrong, but didn't the US Amateur  and British Amateur also used to be considered majors? I don't believe most people consider these to be major's any more. The definition of a major has changed over time and I believe was created by the media.

Correct and correct. When Bobby Jones won four in a year, it was the US and British Amateurs and Opens.

[skydog]

Correct and correct. When Bobby Jones won four in a year, it was the US and British Amateurs and Opens.

And this was prior to the genesis of the PGA tour. Since the tour has been around, the four majors have stood as they are now.

One thing I think some people might not appreciate is that a lot of tour players don't necessarily hold Sawgrass in that high of regard. They hold the event in high regard and very much value the prestige and purse that goes along with it, but like I said, a lot of them view the course as contrived and somewhat gimmicky (although very entertaining).Considering all the exceptional courses that only get a major once every 10 years or so (Pinehurst, Pebble, Oak Hill, Shinnecock, etc.), it would be very hard to justify putting Sawgrass in the same camp as Augusta National as the only course to host a major every year.

[BENtSwing]

Ricky and Sergio in the final pairing would be amazing. Tough to call, especially with the way this year has gone. I could see Kuch or Rose taking it home too.