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

Read more at straitstimes.com.

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, reignited the debate 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 the richest prize purse 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.