So far, the golfing realm has witnessed four majors. But for a long time, The Players has been dubbed as the ‘fifth’ major of the PGA Tour, despite not getting the title officially. Now, speaking at the WM Phoenix Open, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee has made a compelling case for why The Players deserves ‘major’ status. Notably, this made Phil Mickelson and Chamblee go back and forth at each other.

“Majors have a century or so of history. The Players started in 1974. Well, the Masters only dates to 1934 (74 years after the first major) and debatably didn’t become a major until 1960 or so… a full hundred years after The Open began,” wrote Chamblee on X.

This tweet came right after Phil Mickelson lashed out at Chamblee for his recent remarks at the Phoenix Open. Notably, Chamblee termed The Players as the ‘best.’ He justified his take by mentioning how the tournament’s field is superior to those of the four majors. 

This explanation did not sit well with LIV Golfer Phil Mickelson who won the tournament back in 2007. Mickelson pointed out that leaving out the best golfers from LIV does not make The Players a ‘major.’ 

“I believe [David] Puig is top 10 in the world as I believe Bryson [DeChambeau], [Jon] Rahm, and [Niemann] are too. You can’t prohibit four of the top 10 and be considered a major. That’s just reality. The PGA Tour only owns a few events on tour, The Players is one, but [they] are slowly acquiring more,” said Mickelson.

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He also added, “If they wanted to build value for their own asset, allowing LIV players would greatly increase the interest, exposure, and commercial value. However, the egos of many of the members won’t allow for that to happen and that continues to hold them back from growing the value of the SSG investment.”

Soon after, Chamblee responded with a long tweet. He pointed out how The Open began in 1860, but never had a global impact until 1960. This was the time around when Arnold Palmer won the Masters and the US Open. As per him , the PGA Championship, too, did not appeal to the fans until its format and field were changed to match the medal play. 

Chamblee argued that significant additions to the number of majors were made between 1860 and 1995. In fact, back in the days, there were six majors with the US and British Ams forming a part of the elite bracket. Later, it was reduced to four. As a result, Bobby Jones has 13 majors, while Jack Nicklaus went from 20 to 18. 

Giving these examples, Chamblee clarified that if historical significance was the sole factor for a major, there were instances of old tournaments being scrapped while new ones were added as majors. 

And Chamblee did not stop at that. He quipped that majors must not be about what the tournament represents. Lastly, he did admit that The Players becoming a major would mean that the US would have four of the five majors. However, despite understanding the imbalance, Chamblee said that it would be a good move. 

After all, the playing field has always had the top golfers from all over the world, and not just the US. Chamblee noted how players from Latin America, Asia, South Africa, Australia, and Europe have won The Players in the past.

“Majors shouldn’t be balanced by a passport, they should be balanced by pressure. “The Players Championship” isn’t American golf; it’s where the world’s best golfers meet under the toughest conditions,” concluded Chamblee. 

Surely, these are some very valid points. Notably, as Chamblee hit back at Mickelson, his wish for The Players getting major status might have just gotten a boost with the PGA Tour’s recent cryptic post.

PGA Tour teases major status push through test at TPC Sawgrass

The PGA Tour has recently hinted at a major plan. In their Players Championship promotional clip, the tour teased the creation of a new major. They used the tagline “March is going to be Major”. Although officially there are 4 Majors, including the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and The Open Championship, The Players Championship has long been unofficially referred to as the fifth major.

The Players Championship began in 1974 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra. While the event attracts an audience of 100,000 across the four days, the course is in itself, demanding in several aspects.

Comparing TPC Sawgrass to Augusta National Golf Club, Chamblee added, “Augusta isn’t a major because it’s long, it a major because it’s exacting.” He further continued, “Sawgrass may be the most exacting course in professional golf. If a major is defined by a heritage title, The Players is not one, but if a major is defined by a supreme competitive test, The Players already is one.”

At the TPC Sawgrass, a golfer needs to strike the right balance between precision and power. The course of 7,189–7,275 yards with fairway width of almost 30 yards demands not only elite iron play, but also strong emotional capacity and discipline. Now, only time will reveal if the Players Championship earns its long-debated major status.