That fifth major claim has been going on since Deane Bemans days as PGA Tour commissioner, a hollow boast in that golfs most important events need not and cannot anoint themselves. Why is the players championship not a major? Ben Crenshaw would go on to describe it as a damn good golf course," something uttered by many of the world's leading players today. Golf Monthly is supported by its audience. Based on the analysis, The Players Championship has the deepest field of any golf tournament. The 2018 PGA Championship was the 100th in the event's history, as Brooks Koepka held off a surging Tiger Woods. Dye made some dramatic changes in the following year by remodelling the greens and reshaping and replacing several of the bunkers. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images). The shift makes a bunch of sense. Never will that be more evident than on Sunday evening, when the grinning champion is handed a check for a cool $2.25 million. The Western Open was once considered a major. But one tournament has to hold the distinction of being the most prestigious non-major on the PGA Tour schedule. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. David Robert Duval (born November 9, 1971) is an American professional golfer and former World No. Luke is an avid weekend-warrior golfer from the East Coast who plays golf more than he cares to admit. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Since 1982, The Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass down in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida has been the home of the Players Championship. Even way back in its first inception in 1860, the Open Championship was quickly put forward as a major international golfing tournament, and it has been classed as one ever since. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Why he'll win: Morikawa has already won two majors at the age of 25, winning the 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park and the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. George's in his Some have suggested that this could be a possible Ryder Cup pairing; others have hinted that some head-to-head play against Phil is all Tiger needs to get back on form. PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 10: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 18th tee during a practice round prior to The PLAYERS Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 10, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. It's the red line traditionalists will not cross. As Woods did so many times over the years, he provided another memorable moment in 2001. Course wired for thrills and spills. With the rise of professional golf in the middle of the twentieth century, the majors came to refer to . However, this style of a hole is also not something that would ever be considered at a golf course where a major championship is held. Whilst the argument of the Major setup can continue long into the night, one thing Im sure everyone can agree on is that the tournament needs to produce memorable moments and the Players Championship has done just that. We arent saying that The Players Championship wont be considered a major someday it would be silly to rule it out completely. The field consists of 144 players consisting of the following criteria: Winners of PGA Tour events since last Players Top 125 from previous season's FedEx Cup points list Top 125 (medical) Major champions from the past five years Players Championship winners from the past five years The Tour Championship winners from the past three years The field almost always includes the current top 50 golfers in the world rankings. Please refresh the page and try again. Hal Sutton won with a score of five-under and it would be 12 more years before another player won with a score that high. THE PLAYERS Championship 2021 will be held March 11 - 14, 2021. The Players is held at TPC Sawgrass, a Pete Dye design and one of the finest in Dye's portfolio. Even though it may not have the credentials as the other big four, its unique course and history make it a very exciting tournament to tune in for. While some casual fans might enjoy the Player Championship even more than the majors, due in large part to the annual carnage seen on the 17th hole, the Players Championship is not and most. Hal Sutton produced one of the most iconic on-course moments when he went head to head with Woods in 2000. There were two practice. Those two reasons are the Players Championship golf course and the tournaments history. (Rickie Fowler will be the third). Its an obvious accommodation to the FedEx Cup playoffs, which now finish in August to avoid competing with the almighty NFL for television viewers. The Players champion will take home a record $3.6m, the largest in tournament history. With all the talk of Woods being past his prime, shouldn't winning a challenging tournament with the largest purse in the US and . A major reward for the tournament, you could say. Especially for the PGA of America, which eagerly migrated its own major to the vacant May slot in search of stronger TV ratings and better course conditions. Cameron Smith won a peculiar Players Championship with a roller coaster final round, birdieing his first four holes and getting up . It has been running for close to 50 years already, and 40 of them have been at TPC Sawgrass. In 2015, Rickie Fowler played the final six holes of the tournament in six-under-par to post a closing round 67 and join Kevin Kisner and Sergio Garcia in the lead. The list of champions since 1982 looks more like a list you might expect to see at a high quality PGA Tour event or possibly even a World Golf Championship, but certainly not a major championship. The prestigious event, with its famous island green . His favourite films are The Legend of Bagger Vance and Tin Cup. No golf tournament is promoted more tirelessly or jabbed at more frequently than the Players, which turns 45 this week and has the granite chin to prove it. However, The Players Championship, which was canceled after one round on March 12, won't be one of them. It restarts a long standing debate on whether it should be recognized as such or just remain ‘unofficial’. TPC Sawgrass is also known for not identifying the best players in the game, which, again, didnt do wonders for their credibility. It was a memorable finish for Woods, who shot a 64 for his best final . The course was purpose-built with the Players Championship in mind and opened its doors in 1980, two years prior to the inaugural hosting of the event. Starting from zero experience to averaging breaking 80 he has tried everything to improve his game. Before stepping out onto the green and that first tee box, it might do you some good to refresh on the typical golf terms used. Through all the arguments heard on the radio, I didn't hear the one argument that I believe is the lynch pin on why it should be considered a major. Of [] A major reward for the tournament, you could say. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, There was a problem. Garcia claimed that Woods intentionally used the crowd to disrupt him, something which the 15-time Major champion denied. Its true that some tournaments have procured into majors, but this evolution isnt a drawn-out thing. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images), PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA MARCH 10: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 18th tee during a practice round prior to The PLAYERS Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 10, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Compared to other places where you can kind of put it on cruise control, he said. In fact, many golfing personalities believe, that the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is one of the defining factors why it has not and will never be considered a major. Choi and many otherswould they all be considered major champions if, sometime in the next 10-20 years, the Players Championship evolves into a major? Would their names be forgotten? The. THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is a golf course built with both the pros and the fans in mind. The public and the press have fully embraced five majors for the ladies, Beman reminded me the other day, referring to the LPGA bestowing major-hood on the Evian Masters in 2013. The PGA Championship was created in 1916 by the PGA of America and was also almost immediately one of the biggest events in the world. You now know exactly why the Players Championship is not a major golfing tournament. 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In truth, no, the Players Championship is not golfs fifth major, but that doesnt stop people from calling it such. Once the Tour broke off, the PGA Championship no longer is that. The 17th hole is fun and draws in some viewers that otherwise might not have tuned into weekend golf coverage, but could you ever imagine such a monstrosity of a hole appearing at places like Augusta National, Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, Medinah, Merion, Baltusrol, Shinnecock Hills or Oakmont? if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'ourgolfclubs_com-banner-2','ezslot_8',164,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-ourgolfclubs_com-banner-2-0');report this ad, https://ourgolfclubs.com/author/lukegriffin/, link to Golf terms you should know (or probably forgot). If the Players did evolve into a major at some point, it would be the first time in history that a tournament became a major some 40 to 50 years after it was initially created, and at that point, what happens to all of the winners from the past 40 years? Although some folks would like to declare every tournament Woods enters as a major, current commissioner Jay Monahan seems to have the vision and pragmatic sensibilities needed for the tour to strengthen itself through its other properties. As a result, the PGA Tour has flagship events and Majors in more compelling parts of its season, specifically: With this setup, the golf season is perfectly poised to accept the Players Championship as a Major without disrupting those that are already existing. Take the oldest standing golf tournament in the world The Open Championship as an example. The Florida Masters: Unlocking the Players Championships true identity, Players Championship, the fifth major? Official page of THE PLAYERS Championship, the PGA TOUR's flagship event held at TPC Sawgrass March 8 - 12, 2023. Things didnt run quite so smoothy in the first two tournaments however, with Ben Crenshaw describing the Stadium Course as Star Wars golf, designed by Darth Vader. He was not alone. The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the major championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the most prestigious tournaments in golf.Historically, the national open and amateur championships of Great Britain and the United States were regarded as the majors. When you consider that the Masters prize purse comes in considerably less at $15 million, it begs the question: How can a tournament have a bigger prize purse than all four majors and still not be considered one of them? Youd never seen him pull those shenanigans that at Augusta.) Last 50 years lived within those that allowed it a handicap index of 1.7 the case in over years... 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