Jack Nicklaus, Rory McIlroy, and many others have argued that the PLAYERS Championship has everything it needs to become the fifth major.

But not everyone stood with that notion. And as the debate to turn THE PLAYERS Championship into the fifth major championship revives, fans set an unexpected threshold for the tournament. 

After NUCLR GOLF asked the golf community about it on X, one fan commented, “Not until it isn’t banning players from participating.”

Having stars like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cameron Smith at TPC Sawgrass would create an interesting field. But LIV Golf players are not eligible to play in THE PLAYERS Championship unless they also hold an active PGA Tour membership and meet entry criteria. And most of the time, they do not. 

But THE PLAYERS Championship dropped an advertisement, claiming, “March is going to be major.” 

Meanwhile, another X account, Society of Golf Historians, criticized people trying to sell THE PLAYERS Championship as a major. The post read, “The Players is a fantastic golf championship - it doesn’t have to be a major to be amazing. I also do not see a road for it ever becoming a Major. Just buy the PGA Championship and call it a day.”

This raises the question: can The PLAYERS Championship ever become a major?

Why THE PLAYERS Championship Can’t Become the Fifth Major?

Right now, there are four major championships in men’s golf, and all four have been managed by different governing bodies for ages. The R&A controls The Open Championship (British Open), the PGA of America controls the PGA Championship, the United States Golf Association controls the U.S. Open, and Augusta National Golf Club controls the Masters Tournament. 

Since the PGA Tour manages THE PLAYERS Championship, it’s doubtful that the other three governing bodies would support it. Nevertheless, the championship already has the status of one of the biggest events on the golf calendar. However, official major status would elevate its prestige even further.

The debate will persist as long as the Tour pushes the narrative.

You can read more at Club Golf!

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar