For years, Brandel Chamblee has been a vocal supporter of the PGA Tour, dismissing LIV Golf as just an exhibition. But, now amid the raging debate pertaining to the ‘5th Major’, Chamblee has suggested that for The Players to claim its seat at the table of the majors, those in power must find a way to let the outcasts back in.

When pressed on how a tournament could be a major while excluding some of the world’s most elite golfers like Jon Rahm, Chamblee said on the ‘Dan on Golf show,’ “Yeah, they’ll figure out a way to do that if they in fact make it a major, which they have the power to do. Yes, there would be some arguing and some bitter discussions back and forth but in time, it would elevate the tournament to major status and that would add another fantastic week to the PGA Tour”.

Per Chamblee, The Players Championship has the best field and he isn’t looking at the traditional rankings to prove it. He dismissed the Official World Golf Ranking as a flawed system, instead preferring Data Golf.

“Over the duration of The Players Championship, particularly since it moved to the TPC Sawgrass, it has the best field and from a difficulty of golf from a shot value standpoint, I think it’s a tremendous golf course. Look, I mean, Tiger Woods successfully defended 24 times in his career which is an amazing statistic but he never did that at The Players Championship. I would argue that yes, a major championship is defined by history, legacy and tradition, but it should also be defined by which tournament annually has the best field.”

Chamblee also took an aim at the traditionalists who believe that four majors is a sacred number. He views the argument as flawed, noting that the landscape of professional golf has always been variable. He noted periods in the game’s history where seven or even six tournaments were considered Majors.

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Notably, standing in direct opposition to The Players Championship as a major is one of the game’s most prominent names, Rory McIlroy.

Rory McIlroy is not in favour of TPC being given Major status

While the argument has gotten a lot of support from players and analysts alike, it faces a formidable opposition in the form of Rory McIlroy. For McIlroy, a “traditionalist” by his own admission, the debate isn’t about the quality of the tournament, but about the preservation of a system that has been around for a while now.

“I think The Players is one of the best golf tournaments in the world. I don’t think anyone disputes that or argues that. 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 looks like, look at the women’s game. I don’t know how well that’s went for them. But it’s The Players. It doesn’t need to be anything else. I would say it’s got more of an identity than the PGA Championship does at the minute. I don’t think it being classified a major or not a major makes it any more or any less,” he shared.

Only time will tell whether Chamblee’s call for a fifth major is heard or if those in power share the same traditional beliefs as Rory McIlroy.