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.

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."

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar