A Fifth Major?

Brandel Chamblee seems to relish his role as a controversial golf commentator. His opinions are polarizing, and he never shies away from controversy. Love him or hate him, golf fans pay attention when he chimes in on a subject.

I, for one, like Brandel. Sometimes I agree with him, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I appreciate his take on golf, and other times he infuriates me. Which is why I like him. He says what he thinks without trying to reside in an echo chamber.

Recently he offered his opinion on his belief The Players Championship is the “best major.” This created quite a bit of controversy for obvious reasons starting with the fact The Players is not a major.

But Chamblee’s comments have fueled a debate which has been going on for quite a while. Namely, should The Players Championship be a major?

Lots of things have changed in golf since its inception. One of those is which tournaments are “Majors.” One thing which hasn’t changed is the number of majors, at least in men’s championship golf.

The four majors originally consisted of the British Open, British Amateur, the US Open and US Amateur. As professional golf rose into prominence combined with the rise of The Masters, the four majors eventually evolved into the British Open, the US Open, The Masters and the PGA Championship.

Other tournaments prior to the four modern majors laid claim to being majors. The North and South Open, Western Open and short-lived World Championship of Golf in the 1950’s all laid claim to being a major. In Great Britain, the British Matchplay Championship was as important as the PGA Championship in America.

But the modern four majors became solidified as the four majors in 1960. Arnold Palmer won The Masters and US Open to start the season. Palmer stated he would win a Grand Slam like Bobby Jones if he could win the British Open and PGA Championship. Palmer’s statement established the modern majors.

While four majors is the tradition in golf, should there be a fifth major to include a great tournament like The Players Championship?

For me, it’s no.

Four is the right number. It fits well into the length of the season. Adding another major starts to water down their importance. Once one is added, another will come along and want to be added. Where does it end?

We do have an example of a fifth major. Women’s professional golf added a fifth major in 2013 when Evian Championship was added to the recognized four majors in women’s golf: US Women’s Open, British Women’s Open, Women’s PGA Championship and the Chevron Championship (formerly the Kraft Nabisco/ANA Inspiration).

This caused controversy in the golfing community, however, women’s professional golf did not have the established four majors men’s golf possessed. Prior to 1979, there were only two established women’s majors. In 1967 and from 1979-1982 there were three women’s majors. The decision to add a fifth major for the women did not fly in the face of established tradition. Still, it feels as if the importance is somewhat watered down.

The PGA Tour would be better served to continue showcasing The Players Championship as their flagship event. It is competed on an amazing golf course, features arguably the deepest field of any golf tournament in the world and the past champions are among the best professional golfers to ever tee it up.

One argument made for The Players being a major is to have it replace the PGA Championship. I would argue against it for a few reasons.

First, one major is already competed on the same golf course year after year. The Masters is the only major which should be competed on the same golf course. Augusta National is iconic. While TPC Sawgrass is an amazing course, it does not hold the same prestige as Augusta. If you question this, ask yourself if someone offered you a chance to play either Augusta or Sawgrass, which one would you choose? The only answer is Augusta.

Second, none of the majors are operated by one of the professional golf tours. They are all independently operated in coordination with professional golf tours. The Players Championship is owned and operated by the PGA Tour. In my opinion, the majors should stay as independently operated tournaments apart from regular professional golf tour tournaments.

Third, professional tours need to have their own flagship event. The Players Championship was created by the PGA Tour for this purpose. It should remain that way.

The current four majors are THE majors. It’s more than tradition. Four is the perfect number. Leave them as they are.

Okay. Big update everyone. Drumroll please…..

110 mph during speed training on Thursday with driver. This was my third of five swings finishing up a speed session. It was the only one to hit 110 mph. The other four swings were either 108 or 109 mph. Next up is to consistently hit 110 mph as normal max effort.

Next week there will not be a newsletter. I will be off playing golf in Florida this week for a much needed getaway.

As always, be grateful when you play. Be thankful for the privilege and opportunity to play this amazing game. Now, go golf!