The Players Championship has been in the news over the past few days, after Brandel Chamblee suggested that the tournament at TPC Sawgrass is more prestigious than all of the four major championships.
There is no doubt that The Players Championship is one of the biggest tournaments on the golfing calendar.
Brandel Chamblee claimed The Players Championship is the ‘best major’ championship in the game, despite the fact it doesn’t actually have major status.
What do you make of Brandel Chamblee’s comments on The Players Championship?
Chamblee raised some eyebrows with his comments on The Players…
“In every single way that a metric could be used to measure whether something is a major, the Players, to me, stands alone and above all the other four major championships as not just a major. It is in my estimation, the best major.“
Unsurprisingly, Chamblee’s claim stirred the pot and caused a huge reaction among golfing circles around the globe.
If the Players were to be designated as a major, numerous players would jump up the all-time list, while Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods would further cement their standing as the greatest golfers in the history of the sport.
The event held at TPC Sawgrass is a fantastic tournament in its own right.
Rory McIlroy believes The Players Championship should not be a major, due to the fact that it very much has its own identity.
That’s a commendable position for McIlroy to take, considering the fact he would jump from five majors to seven if the Players was elevated in status.
How The Players Championship alters all-time major leaderboard
Rory McIlroy, current world number one Scottie Scheffler and LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson have all tasted victory at the Players.
It’s worth remembering that The Players Championship only started in 1974, so players like Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones and Sam Snead never got the chance to win the tournament.
Nicklaus won The Players three times, while the likes of Woods, Scheffler and McIlroy have emerged victorious twice at TPC Sawgrass.
Let’s take a look at what the all-time major championship leaderboard would look like if The Players Championship was given elevated status…
| Current all-time major leaderboard | Update list if The Players obtained major status |
| Jack Nicklaus (18) | Jack Nicklaus (21) |
| Tiger Woods (15) | Tiger Woods (17) |
| Walter Hagen (11) | Walter Hagen (11) |
| Ben Hogan (9) | Ben Hogan (9) |
| Gary Player (9) | Gary Player (9) |
| Tom Watson (8) | Tom Watson (8) |
| Harry Vardon (7) | Harry Vardon (7) |
| Bobby Jones (7) | Bobby Jones (7) |
| Gene Sarazen (7) | Gene Sarazen (7) |
| Sam Snead (7) | Sam Snead (7) |
| Arnold Palmer (7) | Arnold Palmer (7) |
| Nick Faldo (6) | Phil Mickelson (7) |
| Lee Trevino (6) | Rory McIlroy (7) |
| Phil Mickelson (6) | Lee Trevino (7) |
| James Braid (5) | Nick Faldo (6) |
| John Henry Taylor (5) | Scottie Scheffler (6) |
| Bryon Nelson (5) | Bryon Nelson (5) |
| Peter Thompson (5) | Peter Thompson (5) |
| Seve Ballesteros (5) | Seve Ballesteros (5) |
| Brooks Koepka (5) | Brooks Koepka (5) |
| Rory McIlroy (5) | Raymond Floyd (5) |
As you can see from the table above, Nicklaus and Woods would create even more distance between themselves and Walter Hagen at the top of the pile.
Meanwhile, Scheffler would jump up to tied 15th in the all-time list.
Mickelson and McIlroy’s Players victories would mean that only six players in the history of the game have won more majors than them.
The Players Championship becoming a major would be a big mistake
However, all four major championships have real legacy and history behind them.
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As McIlroy said this week, The Players Championship has its own identity and there really is no need to make it a major championship.
If golf’s governing bodies do want to introduce a fifth major, surely they will have to elevate the status of the Australian Open or the BMW PGA Championship.
We already have three major championships in America and after all, golf is a global game.
However, in an ideal world, the majors would just remain as they are. Having only four every year is what makes them so special.
Why change something that has been in place so long, and has worked perfectly well?
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