Golf doesn’t need a fifth Major, The Players Championship stands on its own

Every March, as the majority of the world’s best golfers arrive at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, the same question pops up without much prompting – should The Players Championship be considered golf’s fifth Major?

The PGA Tour, for reasons best known to itself, added to the debate in 2026 by launching an ad campaign for its flagship tournament which teased and triggered quite a few folks with its tagline: March is going to be major.

Not everyone was convinced.

The Players, which begins on March 12, certainly boasts the strongest field – albeit it is missing some LIV Golf stars – and offers one of the richest prize purses for an individual competition.

It checks the box with its distinguished roll of honour, where winners include Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Asia’s very own K.J. Choi and Kim Si-woo. Plus, it is played at an iconic venue designed for drama.

Yet, for all its prestige and spectacle, particularly around its closing stretch of holes which feature the infamous par-three 17th island green, it sits outside the game’s most exclusive club – the four Majors comprising the Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and Open Championship.

It is uncertain what the new PGA Tour hierarchy, now led by former National Football League executive Brian Rolapp as its chief executive officer, was hoping to achieve with the marketing message, but it drew a different take from The Players’ reigning champion McIlroy.

The Northern Irishman, who became only the sixth man to win all four Majors in April 2025, said: “Look, I’d love to have seven Majors instead of five – that sounds great.

“I think The Players is one of the best golf tournaments in the world. I don’t think anyone disputes that or argues that. From a player perspective, it’s amazing. From an on-site fan experience, it’s amazing. It’s an amazing golf course, location, venue.

“But I’m a traditionalist. I’m a historian of the game. We have four Major championships. If you want to see what five Major championships look like, look at the women’s game. I don’t know how well that’s gone for them.”

Mickelson, now a team captain on the rival LIV Golf circuit, has often sparred with McIlroy in the past, but the 2007 Players champion did agree on this, saying on X: “I’ve won it. It’s not”.

Golf, perhaps more than any other sport, guards its history and traditions quite fiercely.

The Players is considered one of the toughest tournaments to win because of its deep field, with world No. 1 Scheffler being the only back-to-back champion (2023, 2024) since the first edition in 1974.

Sadly though, The Players has not been able to showcase all the game’s top golfers at TPC Sawgrass since 2022 due to a massive divide following the launch of LIV Golf league, which sees the likes of Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, the 2022 Players champion, teeing up halfway across the globe at LIV Singapore this week.

In sport, prestige cannot be manufactured and the weight of tradition matters greatly, unlike an ad campaign. It is for this very reason The Players should remain outside the exclusive Majors club, which is just fine as it stands alone with no peers.

McIlroy sums it up nicely: “I’m still very proud to have won that tournament twice, as I’m sure all the other champions are. It stands on its own without the label. It doesn’t need to be anything else.”