Time for a Fifth Major

[DHAMFROMBHAM]

Alright, it’s time to right a wrong that has been an offense to the legacies of Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, Davis Love III and the other previous winners of the The Players Championship. It’s time to declare The Players golf’s 5th major. As a part of that move, all winners of this championship, since the event was moved to the Stadium Course, should have an additional major championship added to their records. Why? - you may ask. 

A major championship is differentiated from other events by two things: 1)a great field and 2) a great field competing on a great course. What about the field? Every year The Players brings together the strongest field of any golf tournament in the world, and there is no debate about that. What about the course? The Stadium Course is now recognized as a truly great test. Not everyone loves every hole, but it is a demanding course that offers all sorts of players a reasonable opportunity to win. 
 

I know I said that majors are defined by two things. I left one out. Majors are also defined by tradition. Go look at a list of Players champions. First, you’ll see a phenomenal list of champions. But, you’ll also see that this tournament has been played on this course for 40 years. It has established a significant tradition. 
 

Rulers of the game: let’s go. The time has come for this championship to be recognized as the major championship it deserves to be. 

[Dave230]

Hello there, Jay.

[mosesgolf]

Ok. Lets have an Evianesque 5th major on the PGA Tour.  NOT!!!

TPC is 5th majoresque but no need to call it one. 

[wildcatden]

So now Jack has 21 Majors and Tiger has 17 Majors.

[grm24]

2 hours ago, DHAMFROMBHAM said:

But, you’ll also see that this tournament has been played on this course for 40 years. It has established a significant tradition. 

First off pretty weak 1st post troll. Kudos to you. Second off the Players was not always played at TPC Sawgrass. The Players was first played in 1974. Played at 4 different courses before TPC Sawgrass in 1982.

 

The Colonial has been played at the same course since 1946 except for two years. Should the Colonial be a major as well? How about the AT&T Pebble Beach? Started in 1937. Amazing list of winners. Should it be a major as well? 

Edited June 19, 2021 by grm24

[elwhippy]

No chance. The LPGA has weakened the value of their majors by adding a fifth, the Evian, on a well maintained resort course. Four majors in tennis. Four in our game. That is enough.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

Nope.

They also should put the PGA Championship back to August because now pro golf season ends with the last putt at the British open in July. 

Edited June 19, 2021 by BlackDiamondPar5

[James the Hogan Fan]

I would enjoy seeing the PGA become the "World PGA" and played at courses on other continents. Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath instantly come to mind, various UK non-links tracks, continental Europe, Japan, etc.

 

But there's no reason for that to happen, so it's just a pipe dream. I wouldn't want to make the Players a major in any event.

[iBanesto]

[mat562]

The game doesn't need a fifth Major - and if it did, the last place it should be held is the U.S.

[JohnnyCashForever]

1 hour ago, James the Hogan Fan said:

I would enjoy seeing the PGA become the "World PGA" and played at courses on other continents. Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath instantly come to mind, various UK non-links tracks, continental Europe, Japan, etc.

For me, my interest in a major is approximately inversely proportional to the distance that major's venue is from Augusta, Ga.  

[JohnnyCashForever]

7 hours ago, DHAMFROMBHAM said:

A major championship is differentiated from other events by two things: 1)a great field and 2) a great field competing on a great course.

I think you're leaving out the influence of money.  IMO, if the Barbasol Championship's first prize were $10M, it would be a major.  Or at the very least, it would take a considerable number of American (and European) competitors away from the British Open.    

 

Put another way, if the prize money at the Players were like any regular Tour event, would it still have the best field in golf?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

[bscinstnct]

51 minutes ago, mat562 said:

The game doesn't need a fifth Major - and if it did, the last place it should be held is the U.S.

 

If there were a 5th, I’d agree that it be held outside the US. But where?

 

It should be held in a country where golf is strongly woven into a society that has passion for the game. I don’t think you just have it in the ME or China, for example.

 

So, you have UK, Ireland, Australia, Japan, Canada. SA and Sweden maybe.

 

I think they could rotate between some or all those countries.

 

Given the PGL talk and it seemingly making the PGA/Euro tour motivated to innovate, could be a possibility. 

 

 

[Duffer222]

Let’s go back to the original premise….

NO!

[KRAMER1997]

I say we make "The Match" a major. If Phil keeps winning those, he'll have more majors then Tiger maybe even Jack!

Also I think it'd be really funny to say that Charles Barkley has won a major before Rickie Fowler!

 

 

[widow-maker]

It's hard to win a major.  Why would you want to lessen the accomplishment by making it easier?  The more you add the less important they become.

 

 All of a sudden Rickie Fowler becomes a major winner retroactively?  Without the pressure of having to actually do it?  You'd actually take something he's proud to have done and turn it into a joke of an accomplishment. 

[Bye]

I’m not sure it’s a good idea to add another major. But I’m in agreement with those who say it needs to be outside of the US.

 

Maybe the Australian Open, or a new event. But not in North America or Europe.

[Hawkeye77]

Lots of first post, first thread "hot takes" lately.

 

And lol, we'll give Tiger two more majors and keep Jack where he's at.

 

Not even subtle . . .

 

And yep, pretty debatable --- PGA Championship and The Open Championship have stronger fields in some years using different metrics.  

 

When do the leaders tee off, lol?

Edited June 19, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[2bGood]

The PGA Tour operators would love another Major - more money more eyeballs on their product, but even they know the fans would reject it.

 

I will never happen. 

[dbleag]

Let's make every tournament on the PGA Tour schedule a major and beat the LPGA to it.  😮

 

Still no one would catch Jack or Eldrick.

[Edaw68]

Nah

[smashdn]

Since we are talking tradition.  Traditionally there have been four majors.  A fifth one has traditionally been a bad idea.  So there's that.

[jdl]

[the bishop]

14 hours ago, grm24 said:

First off pretty weak 1st post troll. Kudos to you. Second off the Players was not always played at TPC Sawgrass. The Players was first played in 1974. Played at 4 different courses before TPC Sawgrass in 1982.

 

The Colonial has been played at the same course since 1946 except for two years. Should the Colonial be a major as well? How about the AT&T Pebble Beach? Started in 1937. Amazing list of winners. Should it be a major as well? 

How about the John Deere Classic?  Spieth holing out from the bunker on the 72nd hole to win his first major would be one of the great moments in championship history.  And I think we can ALL agree on that.

[Shilgy]

Guy joins wrx….first post appears to be a troll job but is actually brilliant rope a dope

 

rope-a-dope

/ˈrōpəˌdōp/

 

noun

INFORMAL•US

1. a boxing tactic of pretending to be trapped against the ropes, goading an opponent to throw tiring ineffective punches.

    

[Superbrit]

Errr no, would make matt kuchar a major champion and no one wants that

[smashdn]

Do the guys with incentives in their various contracts get back pay?  Caddies too?

[MattyO1984]

What’s with the half hearted idea OP? Let’s just make them all majors. I mean does anyone dispute that Ted Potter Jnr winning the 2018 AT&T was any less of an accomplishment than Gary Woodland winning the US Open around the same course 15 months later?! 

[freeze16172002]

The Memorial has a strong field played on the same course for 45 years, lets make that a major.....BTW the US Open and the PGA had a stronger SOF then the players, no debating that

Edited June 21, 2021 by freeze16172002

[Scotty1140]

Hard no.