Time for a Fifth Major

[brutus27]

On 6/18/2021 at 10:54 PM, DHAMFROMBHAM said:

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. 

No, just no. Once you add one, then you’ll want to add another, and so on.

Think of the LPGA, they have more than 4 and I can’t even name them. They have diluted the product and no one watches…

[cmatthews77]

On 6/19/2021 at 3:21 AM, BlackDiamondPar5 said:

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. 

No way!!! The PGA and golf is much better in my opinion with the new format. A big “major” event every month from March to Sept…

 

TPC Sawgrass is way better in March than May from a hosting a tour event standpoint. 
 

The PGA being in May after the Masters has given some more life and spark to the event. The stupid “glory last shot” thing was lame and it just struggled being last IMO because after all the other majors it didn’t have enough identity.  Plus the move to May opens up some more venues they can use and have the course firm and fast without the course being so soft. 
 

The FedEx Cup and Tour Championship will never and should never surpass a major but at least now it’s at least in August before football season and eyeballs have tuned out. 
 

Ryder Cup in Sept and wrap it up. 

[cmatthews77]

Putting a major in another continent just because golf is a global sport is silly. Golf history is complicated and for such reason as much as I LOVE majors the whole just “counting majors” to compare players historically is silly. I mean from 1970 on fine but golf history is complicated. 
 

In terms of where majors are hosted- they’re hosted by the leading governing bodies of golf. 
1) R&A where golf was founded in Scotland has a major championship- the first major championship. 
2) USGA where golf quickly grew hosts a championship 

*Enter historical note they used to each host two (Open and Amateur) back when golf was not exclusively played at the highest levels by professionals. 
3) PGA hosts a championship. I suppose you could MAYBE make an argument that this major could occasionally move somewhere else around the globe but not really. 
4) The Masters- this one is tricky because it’s really just an invitational like Jacks Memorial Tournament but gained “major” status during history because it attracted the best players from around the world early on. 
 

5) in the 1960s led by Arnold Palmer the PGA Tour separated from the PGA (a tournament players division) with their own governing body. It makes since that they now have their own championship. Should it count as a “major”? Maybe. Maybe not but it’s a “major”. 
In favor… it has all the necessary ingredients of a major. It’s just as difficult to win than any other major if not more difficult to win than the Masters. 
Against… so would the Western Open back before the 1960s

 

i actually wish they’d just call it a major and be done with it. History books can have asterisks like it already does in golf. 

 

For there to have been a major in another continent IMO what would have needed to happen is that continent (say Japan/Asia) or Australia developed a tour that rivaled the Tour run by the R&A or the PGA Tour that then attracted the best American and European players to go play. But instead the best Japanese, Australian/New Zealand and South African and South American players all came to either the USA or Europe to play thus negating the Asian Tour or any other tour ever developing a “Major”. 

[grm24]

5 hours ago, cmatthews77 said:

5) in the 1960s led by Arnold Palmer the PGA Tour separated from the PGA (a tournament players division) with their own governing body. It makes since that they now have their own championship. Should it count as a “major”? Maybe. Maybe not but it’s a “major”. 

The PGA Championship was a recognized major before the PGA of America and what became the current PGA Tour separated in 1968 and started in 1969. 

[imakaveli]

This is what happens when you fix what is not broken following the money. Lot of money, very few excitement.

[bladehunter]

11 hours ago, brutus27 said:

No, just no. Once you add one, then you’ll want to add another, and so on.

Think of the LPGA, they have more than 4 and I can’t even name them. They have diluted the product and no one watches…

I agree with this. I can’t name them either. The US the British and the one with the pond. That’s all I know.  
 

 

 

we don’t need a 5th we just need the pga to be moved back to later in the year.   Spread them out so players have to peak several times. Not just one early run.  Football is dying a slow death , why not air the pga on golf Chanel and compete with it for one event ???? 

Edited July 19, 2021 by bladehunter

[Hawkeye77]

12 hours ago, cmatthews77 said:

so would the Western Open back before the 1960s

 

 

The Western Open was a big event, but even prior to 1960 and back to the 40s, when it was a big deal to win, it was still in its time considered a step above an "ordinary event", but still not a "major" and on a tier below The Masters, British Open, PGA Championship and U.S. Open.  So not really in the running  but folks like to bring it up.  

[PorkChopExpress]

NFL 18 game season makes the call to have the Tour Championship earlier. 
two less preseason games means less golf audience 

[Hawkeye77]

Edit.

Edited July 19, 2021 by Hawkeye77