Major or minor?

The question that never seems to go away, other than the one about when a European will finally win a big one again, is whether the Players Championship deserves to be called a Major.

As it happens, originally the four Majors were not as they are today. They were made up of The Open and the Amateur Championship, as well as the US Open and US Amateur.

In time, probably since the start of the 1960s, they would become the Masters, US Open, Open Championship and US PGA that we know today but it may not be long before the Unofficial Fifth Major loses that tag.

For over a decade now this argument has been raging.

Those in favour view the tournaments field, purse and course more than worthy of Major status while those against side with tradition its always been four and thats that.

However the arguments for are stacking up and the flagship event of the PGA Tour may be getting too big too ignore.

For a start, there is the change of timing. This year The Players will be held in May whereas, in the past, it has always followed the Bay Hill Invitational towards the end of March and, more importantly, come just two weeks before Augusta.

Some, unfairly, have seen it as a kind of warm-up for the Masters though in the past decade it has surpassed any such notion.

With its new position on the calendar, we could have a Major in five successive months. And the Masters would still remain the first of the five and, in most peoples hearts, the true start to the golf season proper.

Then there is the Stadium Course at Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida. In every way, the Pete Dye track measures up to Major standards and has a finishing stretch of holes as dramatic as any.

The 16th throws up birdie and eagle opportunities aplenty, though water can and does soon change all that, and then there is one of the most famous, and thrilling, holes in the game.

The island 17th, the signature hole of the course and probably of the entire PGA Tour, may only measure 137 yards but with water everywhere it is famed for throwing up disasters as the players, as the Americans would say, throw up on themselves.

Last year 57 balls were swallowed up over the four days.

The last, the hardest hole statistically on Tour, offers more potential for glory and heartache alike with water guarding the left side from the tee-shot.

Of course, it will play a lot differently in May, with the Florida weather edging into the 80s, making it firmer and faster, while massive course changes over the past 12 months should also add to the challenge.

Every fairway has been renovated, with the topsoil removed and extra sand and extensive irrigation added, while every green will have a drainage system, to hydrate in the dry weather and vacuum water in the wet.

And all this is expected to lead to higher scoring the winning score has averaged 13.6 under in weeks that have seen rainfall, with an average of 8.5 under, much more in line with an ideal winning Major score, for those with little or none.

A new clubhouse and elevated walkways down the last three holes have also been installed, all adding weight to the argument.

The quality of the winners also pays testament to a course which puts an emphasis on accuracy from the tee and the fairway, rewards those with an excellent short game and examines the minds of all 144 competitors.

Last year Stephen Ames triumphed by six shots. The Canadian may not be the sexy name the sponsors or television people wanted but he was more than a worthy champion, leading the driving accuracy and greens in regulation categories and shooting a best-of-the-day 67 in the final round.

The year before Fred Funk triumphed after barely missing a fairway.

This is one course where the bombers cannot just simply grip it and rip it, another big tick in the Major debate.

The players also love the tournament. Its theirs, as the name suggests, and their governing body the PGA Tour argue that they deserve their own Major.

At their headquarters.

Augusta National runs the Masters, the USGA runs the US Open, the R and A runs the Open Championship, and the PGA of America runs the US PGA.

It may not be a Major yet but the PGA Tour clearly see it as an equivalent of one, given the points system for the inaugural FedEx Cup.

Each regular tournament has a purse of 25,000 points, with the three World Golf Championship winners receiving 26,250. The Majors AND The Players are worth 27,500 each.

Finally, in its defence, whatever the merits of any of the current Majors, The Players produces a stronger and deeper field.
Nobody likes to miss Sawgrass with huge prestige and money at stake. Given Major status that would mean even more prize money, exposure and endorsement opportunities and therefore would have the backing of a huge majority of the players.

So, with the timing now right, a course that promises to get even better, a collection of quality winners and a huge prize fund in place what is stopping four becoming five?

One word. Tradition.

The Open is the oldest of the four, dating back to 1860, then comes the US Open in 1895, the US PGA in 1916 and the Masters in 1934. The Players began as recently as 1974, when Jack Nicklaus won, and only moved to the Stadium Course in 1982.

The Masters started off as a tournament without, of course, tradition or even a quality field but can thank Gene Sarazen’s albatross in 1935, and then the advent of television coverage in the 50s, before Arnold Palmer’s heroics in 1960, for thrusting it into the ‘big time’ and squaring the Major circle.

The Players has had its fair share of dramatic conclusions but nothing to sit in the memory bank for too long. Craig Perks needed just one putt in the last three holes in 2002, finishing eagle, birdie, par, but how people can recall the New Zealander’s incredible exploits?

Also, it is not a tournament that Tiger Woods has dominated. The world No 1 has come out on top just once, in 2001, and he has only gone close on one other occasion when Hal Sutton edged him out the previous year. Moreover, none of Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Vijay Singh have ever landed the title and, for the European golf fan, there have also been slim pickings with just Sandy Lyle emerging victorious in 1987.

There is little doubt that The Players is the most important tournament after the Majors but is that enough to elevate it into one and, if it was, then how long will it be before another is touted as the ‘unofficial sixth Major’?
Also, are all the previous winners suddenly Major champions? That would mean Tiger moving up to 13 but it also rockets Nicklaus on to 21, given his three wins in The Players, while Hal Sutton would now have three to his name.

It is likely that nobody would want that (other than Sutton) and a huge rewrite of the history of the game would be impractical.

Finally, it would need a set and established date so players could prepare as they would for a Major Championship.

Who decides, anyway? The players? The PGA Tour? The media? If you look at the example of the Women’s British Open, which has been played for since 1976 but only became a ‘Major’ 25 years later, it will be the decision of the PGA Tour as it was the LPGA’s in 2001.

Whatever does happen it is unlikely to be within the next few years but its new slot on the schedule will lead to even more discussion on the matter than ever before. Roll on May 10th.