July 8, 2022, Stateline, Nevada, U.S: Golf personality/model/influencer, PAIGE SPIRANAC, tees off from the first hole during the American Century Championship at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada, on Friday, July 8, 2022. Copyright: xTracyxBarbutesx
July 8, 2022, Stateline, Nevada, U.S: Golf personality/model/influencer, PAIGE SPIRANAC, tees off from the first hole during the American Century Championship at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada, on Friday, July 8, 2022. Copyright: xTracyxBarbutesx
Paige Spiranac just reopened one of golf's biggest debates. At TPC Sawgrass this week, she asked fans if The Players Championship deserves to be the sport's fifth major. The response was immediate and divided, reigniting a conversation about the tournament's legacy and what defines a major.
Many fans pointed to the tournament's strong field and rich history as reasons for its elevation. Spiranac later shared the video on Instagram on March 13, and in the reel, fan after fan supported the idea. Only a few people disagreed, but most of them felt The Players deserve to be called a major.
"It is absolutely one of the best rounds of golf that people can watch," one fan said. Another explained, "The field's great. The course is amazing. There's no reason for it not to be."
This has long been one thing that comes up every few years amongst fans. Right from the prize money to the prestige of winning the event, it's right up at the top next to majors.
And recently, Brian Rolapp dropped an update around it. "I’m not entirely sure how majors become majors; the history is really interesting to study. There used to be more majors. There’s fewer majors. I think what’s important is that’s not for us to decide. What is important is that this is a pretty special event, and I think among the best events in golf."
Spiranac's Comments Section Had a Lot to Say About Major Status
One fan kicked it off by saying, "No way. You start doing that and before you know it, you have 10 majors." That's because the modern era has been defined by the four majors set in place.
Trending slideshow: The Players Championship After Round 1, Leaderboard Begins To Take Shape
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The Players Championship After Round 1, Leaderboard Begins To Take ShapeThe Players Championship puts 120 top golfers to the test on Pete Dye’s famous Stadium Course. Known for its dramatic endings and a 2026 lineup that includes stars such as Brooks Koepka, this tournament blends high-level competition with luxury. Fans get great views at the 17th hole, and the Mediterranean-style clubhouse adds to the experience. Now that the first round is over and the leaderboard is taking shape, the pressure is on. Who will rise to the challenge, and who will fall behind at Sawgrass? Richard Dole/ZUMA Press Wire/ImagoThe biggest shock of the opening round was the withdrawal of world No. 4 Collin Morikawa, who was forced to exit after completing just one hole. After a solid par on the 10th, Morikawa suffered a sharp back injury on the 11th tee. The pre-tournament favorite was seen in visible distress and had to be carted back to the clubhouse, leaving a massive void in the 2026 field. His early departure significantly shifts the win probability for the remaining leaders heading into the second round. Brenton Tse/ZUMA Press Wire/ImagoEmiliano Grillo and Davis Riley had a rough opening day at the Stadium Course, finishing at the very bottom of the leaderboard with matching rounds of 12-over par 84. Shooting such a high number on this course means their margin for error is officially gone for the rest of the week. Both players will need a miracle on Friday just to avoid an early flight home after such a lopsided start. Karl Anderson/Icon Sportswire/ImagoA trio of players, including Chandler Phillips, Kevin Yu, and Patton Kizzire, finished their opening rounds at 8-over par 80. It was a long day in the sun for this group, as they struggled to find any momentum on the greens. Sitting at T118, they are now essentially playing for pride and a massive comeback, as they sit well outside the projected weekend cut line heading into Friday. Al Chang Isi/ZUMA Press Wire/ImagoThorbjørn Olesen and Jordan Smith find themselves in a difficult position after carding rounds of 7-over par 79. Both players were caught out by the tricky hazards of TPC Sawgrass, leaving them at T116 on the leaderboard. With the field moving fast, they will need to find a way to go low in the second round to have any hope of extending their stay in Florida. William Brodin/TT/ImagoSami Valimaki sits alone at T115 after turning in a 6-over par 78. While he managed to avoid the double-digit scores seen further down the board, a lack of birdies kept him from climbing into a safer position. Valimaki faces a steep uphill battle on Friday morning, needing to drastically shift his strategy to bridge the gap and stay in the conversation. via Aflo Sport/ImagoA group of 7 players, including Keegan Bradley, Joel Dahmen, Rico Hoey, Vince Whaley, Cam Davis, Adam Schenk, and Erik van Rooyen, found themselves fighting the wind as they slipped to 5-over 77. Seeing a top threat like Bradley struggle so much shows how much the course can bite back when you lose focus. They are now deep in the danger zone as the leaderboard moves away. Making the weekend cut now requires a flawless second round from this entire T107 group. Fran Caffrey/Golffile/ImagoShane Lowry, Sam Burns, Denny McCarthy, Garrick Higgo, J.T. Poston, Zecheng Dou, Johnny Keefer, and Harry Hall all finished their Thursday at 4-over par 76. This group at T99 features several big names who expected a much better start. They are currently staring at a very short tournament unless they can find their rhythm early during the Friday morning wave. Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire/ImagoA massive group of 17 players finished at 3-over par 75, putting them right on the edge of the projected cut. This T82 group includes Brian Harman, Sungjae Im, Gary Woodland, Jhonattan Vegas, Matt McCarty, Jake Knapp, Kevin Roy, Marco Penge, Pierceson Coody, Stephan Jaeger, David Ford, Andrew Novak, Steven Fisk, Matthieu Pavon, S.H. Kim, Rasmus Højgaard, and Kristoffer Reitan. One or two bad swings on Friday will end their week. Debby Wong/ZUMA Press Wire/ImagoDefending champion Rory McIlroy finished at 2-over par 74 alongside Kurt Kitayama, Nick Taylor, Mark Hubbard, Mackenzie Hughes, Michael Thorbjornsen, Taylor Pendrith, Aldrich Potgieter, Haotong Li, Seamus Power, Brian Campbell, Aaron Rai, and Nico Echavarria. Sitting at T69, Rory is now grinding just to make the weekend. He needs a big birdie run to keep his title hopes from disappearing entirely. Javier Rojas/ZUMA Press Wire/ImagoJordan Spieth and Wyndham Clark finished at 1-over par 73 with 15 others, including Patrick Cantlay, Si Woo Kim, Harris English, Mac Meissner, Eric Cole, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Max Greyserman, Ryan Gerard, Tom Hoge, Michael Kim, Davis Thompson, Karl Vilips, Takumi Kanaya, Zach Bauchou, and Sudarshan Yellamaraju. While a 73 is not a disaster, it keeps them at T52 and will require much more aggression tomorrow to stay safe. Brenton Tse/ZUMA Press Wire/ImagoScottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka stayed in the hunt with steady even-par 72s. Joining them at T40 are Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Min Woo Lee, Daniel Berger, Robert MacIntyre, Michael Brennan, Sam Stevens, Keith Mitchell, Chad Ramey, and Max McGreevy. Neither player set the world on fire, but these heavyweights are notorious for charging hard during the second round when the pressure starts to ramp up. Brenton Tse/ZUMA Press Wire/ImagoMax Homa and Akshay Bhatia lead a group at 1-under par 71 at T30, including Chris Kirk, Nicolai Højgaard, Alex Noren, Danny Walker, Ricky Castillo, Ryo Hisatsune, J.J. Spaun, and Chris Gotterup. A round of 71 is a smart, disciplined start that avoids the big numbers the Stadium Course loves to hand out. These golfers are perfectly positioned to make a move on Friday. Romeo Guzman/ZUMA Press Wire/ImagoHideki Matsuyama and Jason Day look dangerous after posting 2-under 70s. They are joined at T17 by Rickie Fowler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Lucas Glover, Bud Cauley, Andrew Putnam, Patrick Rodgers, Alex Smalley, Jacob Bridgeman, Ben Griffin, Joe Highsmith, and Matti Schmid. Being only 3 shots off the pace makes this entire group a major threat as the tournament moves into the second day of competition. Thos Caffrey/Golffile/ImagoViktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg headline the group at 3-under 69. This T10 charge includes Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood, Corey Conners, and William Mouw. Seeing these young stars near the top confirms the strength of the 2026 field. They navigated the tricky hazards with ease and are breathing down the necks of the current leaders as we head into round 2. Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire/ImagoJustin Thomas and Cameron Young are part of the elite chase pack at 4-under par 68. Joining them at T6 are Russell Henley and Taylor Moore, who all looked sharp attacking flags and making clutch putts. Thomas looked like his old self, securing a clean 68 to stay within striking distance. This group is only one swing away from joining the leaders at the very top of the board. Debby Wong/ZUMA Press Wire/ImagoMaverick McNealy, Lee Hodges, Sepp Straka, and Sahith Theegala share the lead with 5-under 67s, while Austin Smotherman joins them with one hole left. Theegala’s 99-yard eagle on the 12th was the highlight of the day for the T1 group. These five players mastered the Island Green and officially set the pace. They will look to hold off the heavyweights charging from behind on Friday. Debby Wong/ZUMA Press Wire/Imago
The four-major structure also serves as a benchmark for comparing modern players to legends like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. That's why fans added by saying, "Enough already," and "No it shouldn't."
However, there's one thing fans agreed on. "Major or not, it just deserves our respect."
We've seen incredible moments on the course. Remember Rickie Fowler's 2015 comeback or Tiger Woods' 60-foot putt? And we've seen the greatest players in the sport win here. After all, Jack Nicklaus won at the event in the inaugural event.
That's why another said, "It holds more importance as a non-major. If you elevate it to a major, it's suddenly reduced its importance."
