Why THE PLAYERS Championship Should Be the 4th Major

Every year about this time we hear the arguments that THE PLAYERS Championship should be the 5th major. Actually there are compelling reasons why it should be the 4th major instead of the PGA Championship.

Traditionally we have had four majors for as long as anyone can remember.  It is just one of those traditions that golf is filled with and that help make it be such a great game that has been enjoyed for centuries by millions.  But the four majors have evolved over time for good reason and now it is time for them to evolve again.

Originally the four majors were The Open and The Amateur which belonged to the Brits and the U S Open and the U S Amateur.  Bobby Jones made them famous by winning all four in one year for the original “Grand Slam.”  This was at a time when golf was primarily an amateur sport and golf professionals were rare.

 
Over time, with growth of professional golf, they evolved.  The Amateur and the U S Amateur were replaced by the Masters and the PGA Championship and a new “Grand Slam” was born.

The PGA made the list originally when the PGA of America was formed in 1916.  It was formed by golf professionals that wanted their own organization to promote professional golf.  There were no pure “tour players” in those days simply because there wasn’t enough money in it.  For the most part the tournament schedule was developed so that northern professionals would have something to compete for during the winter when their clubs were closed.  A good season on “the tour” meant breaking even after covering expenses.

In the late sixties the tour had an influx of money, primarily from television, and primarily because of the popularity of Arnold Palmer.  The tour players were not happy about sharing that with the PGA of America and formed what officially became known as the PGA TOUR.

The PGA TOUR held their first championship in 1974 and with the strongest field and largest purse should have become the 4th major then, replacing the PGA Championship which has a much weaker field. That is primarily because of the inclusion of a large number of club professionals.

The Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass became the permanent home of the Tour Championship in 1982 and was designed and built to test the best in the world which it certainly does.  All anyone has to do is ask the tour players what it is like to play a course of that caliber against the top players on the tour.

 
When polled, the players ranked winning a major this way:

1. Masters 50%
2. British Open 25%
3. U.S. Open 23%
4. PGA Championship 2%

That is a pretty good indication of how they feel about the matter.  It got 2% only because it is a “major.”

Professional golf has evolved dramatically from the time the PGA Championship became a major and it is way past time for the tournaments that make up the four majors and the grand slam to evolve again.

Cover Photo via Flickr