A LIV Golf star has pushed back against growing chatter of turning the PGA Tour’s flagship event into a fifth major. The debate over expanding men’s golf beyond its traditional four majors started after Brandel Chamblee shared his take on how he felt that THE PLAYERS is the ‘best major.’ Following that, LIV golfer Phil Mickelson made headlines with his stance against the same. And now, Australian LIV golfer, Lucas Herbert, has made it clear he believes the line should not be blurred

“There are a lot of tournaments around the world that hold significance within your heart, depending on where you’re from or where you’ve enjoyed playing. But the four majors are the four majors, and that’s it. We’re doing our own thing out there on LIV and hopefully trying to create more events like Adelaide because it’s certainly a very special event.”

“The PLAYERS Championship is a great event. TPC Sawgrass is a great test of golf. You’ve had some really high-quality winners there over the years. It’s a great tournament, but it’s not a major championship”, added Herbert.

Although Herbert acknowledged the prestige and difficulty of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, he did not want to endorse any move to crown it a fifth major.

He pointed out how every country tends to view its own biggest tournament as being just as important as a major, even if it officially isn’t one. He gave the example of how the Irish Open is extremely important to the Irish players and fans. Similarly, for Australian players, the Australian Open carries the same weight as a Major to the Aussies.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

The Aussie phenom further pointed out how several other past winners of The Players Championship have also agreed it should not be called a Major. Since the 1960s, when legends like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus helped popularize the term, only four tournaments have officially been recognized as majors.

While the LIV golfers are against the idea of taking THE PLAYERS into consideration for being touted as the 5th Major, the PGA Tour’s ‘traditionalist’ golfing icon, Rory McIlroy, has shared his stance on the matter.

Rory McIlroy’s traditionalist stance cools momentum for THE PLAYERS as fifth major

Rory McIlroy kicked off his 2026 season as the world’s number two golfer, just months after completing his career Grand Slam. Notably, he has managed to secure two top-5 finishes after teeing off at four events. 

He ended at T3 at his 2026 debut event, the Dubai Invitational. At the Genesis Invitational, he ended up tied for second position. At the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he concluded at T14, he was asked to reflect upon the ongoing debate surrounding THE PLAYERS.

“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. But I’m a traditionalist, I’m a historian of the game. We have four major championships”, said McIlroy.

Rory McIlroy further shared a slightly critical point and pointed out how the women’s game expanded to five major championships. However, in his view, that hasn’t necessarily made things better or clearer. He seemingly hinted at how adding a fifth major in men’s golf might weaken the importance and tradition of the existing four.