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'Fifth major' or maintain tradition? Start of Players Championship reignites ongoing debate.

Published: 10 Mar. 2026, 13:42 Updated: 10 Mar. 2026, 16:00

Scottie Scheffler watches his shot on the first hole during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando, Florida, on March 7. [AP/YONHAP]

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

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

Not everyone was convinced.

The Players, which begins on Thursday, certainly boasts the strongest field of any tournament, albeit minus some LIV Golf stars, and it offers the richest prize purse for an individual competition. It checks the box with its distinguished roll of honor, with former winners including 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 features the infamous par-3 17th island green, it sits outside the game’s most exclusive club —- the four traditional majors comprising the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship.

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

Rory McIlroy plays his shot from the first tee during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida, on March 6. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The Northern Irishman, who became only the sixth man to win all four majors last April, 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.”

Phil Mickelson, the 2007 Players champion and now a team captain on the rival LIV Golf league, has often sparred with McIlroy in the past but the veteran American did agree with McIlroy, stating on his X social account: “I've won it. It's not.”

Captain Phil Mickelson of HyFlyers GC waits on the 11th hole during the second round of LIV Golf at Hong Kong Golf Club Fanling in Hong Kong on March 8, 2025. [AP/YONHAP]

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

The Players is considered one of the toughest golf tournaments to win because of its deep field, with world No. 1 Scheffler being the only back-to-back champion — in 2023 and 2024 — in the 51-year history of the championship.

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 some four years ago, which will see the likes of Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam 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, not an ad campaign. And 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 rather 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.”

The writer previously led marketing and communications for the PGA Tour and Asian Tour for over 20 years. He now runs his own sports PR consultancy.

BY CHUAH CHOO CHIANG [[email protected]]