The Players Championship is not a major golf tournament but should it?

PONTE VEDRA BEACH — Even Brian Rolapp, the CEO of the organization that runs The Players Championship — his players’ championship — could not completely sign off on the debate.

During Rolapp’s first State of the PGA Tour address held the week of The Players, he twice stated the controversy over whether The Players should be considered a major championship, should not be determined by the Tour.

“The talk on if this should be a major, should it not be a major, I’ve learned a lot,” Rolapp said. “I’m not entirely sure how majors become majors. The history is really interesting to study. There used to be more majors. There’s fewer majors.

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“I think what’s important, that’s not for us to decide. What is important is that this is a pretty special event and I think among the best events in golf. … I think that should be celebrated.”

Yet, the tagline for the PGA Tour’s promotional campaign for the event held this weekend at TPC Sawgrass that has a reputation for bringing together the best field in golf is: “March is going to be major.”

“The one thing I learned is our marketing department’s really effective,” Rolapp said. “They made one commercial spot and we’re all having this conversation, which is really interesting. Kudos to them.”

Tiger Woods called Players ‘highest’ tournament in world, ‘next to majors’

Tommy Fleetwood signs autographs for young fans during the second round of The Players Championship PGA golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

The debate as to whether Players Championship should join the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and British Open as a major championship has raged since the tournament debuted in 1974 and was won by the champion of champions, North Palm Beach’s Jack Nicklaus.

The discussion ebbs and flows. Typically, the ebbs overtake the flows, especially when the one voice that carries more clout than any for the modern player says this about The Players:

“The highest tournament in the world — next to the majors.”

That was Jupiter Island’s Tiger Woods in 2003, two years after winning the first of his two Players. The other was in 2013.

And most of his peers who are attempting to carry his torch today agree.

Rory McIlroy, No. 2 in the world, is the defending Players champion. He has won here twice. He also has five major championships on his resume.

“I’m a traditionalist, I’m a historian of the game,” McIlroy, the Jupiter resident, said. “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.

“I think The Players has got it nailed. The Players is an amazing tournament in its own right and I don’t think it being classified a major or not a major makes it any more or any less. It stands on its own without the label. … It doesn’t need to be anything else.”

Sahith Theegala, who last year moved to Jupiter, said he would be “fine” with The Players labeled a major but added, “I wouldn’t be like super pro for having it be a fifth major. Does it need to be a fifth major? Not really.”

Justin Rose was asked prior to The Players where hoisting the sterling silver and 24K gold trophy of a golfer in the iconic follow-through pose would rank.

“It would be right there, of course,” said the British golfer. “I’m always going to say a major championship just because of the years being on the putting green, trying to win the (British) Open in my own mind is always going to put that, like, at the peak of my to-do list.”

Rose grouped The Players with winning a FedEx Cup and Olympic Golf medal.

But not with a major championship.

Collin Morikawa and Brooks Koepka said it without saying it.

Morikawa admitted winning The Players “is up there. I think you ask any collegiate golfer, ask any junior golfer, they obviously want to win the four majors, but you want to win The Players … I put it very, very high up there in the list of things I want to get done.”

Koepka, the Palm Beach County native with five major championships, was asked how many majors he would consider he has won if he wins The Players.

He did not say “six.”

Golfers who have won each of the four majors at least once are known to have achieved the career Grand Slam. McIlroy became part of that elite group when he won the 2025 Masters, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jupiter Island’s Gary Player, Nicklaus and Woods.

The greatest answer as to whether The Players should be considered a major came from Jeff Sluman, a six-time winner on both the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions, including one major, the 1988 PGA Championship.

“When you go to Denny’s and order the Grand Slam, they don’t give you five things, do they?” he said.

The Players cannot be a major until LIV golfers allowed in

Ludvig Ã…berg reacts to a missed putt on the 17th hole during the second round of The Players Championship PGA golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

The Players long has been called the “fifth major.” It’s understandable why the PGA Tour is not thrilled with that label considering it does not own any of the four majors.

Those are owned by Augusta National Golf Club (Masters), the PGA of America (PGA Championship), the United States Golf Association (U.S. Open) and the R&A (British Open).

Which is why Nicklaus, who has the most Players titles with three, has 18 major championships. Not 21. And why Woods has 15. Not 17. And McIlroy has five. Not seven.

The Players certainly has the feel of a major. It’s held on a championship course that stands up to any, and even exceeds some, on which the majors are held.

It certainly pays more than a major with a $25 million purse.

But you can’t say it looks like a major when it does not include all of the best players in the game.

The conversation is a non-starter until the PGA Tour allows everyone to participate in The Players. Like the four majors.

Everyone, meaning those from LIV Golf who deserve a spot in the field when the best players are competing for a major championship.

Despite LIV essentially becoming irrelevant in the U.S., a handful of its golfers are not, among them Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton and Cam Smith. Any tournament that excludes Rahm and DeChambeau especially is not a major.

But should it be a conversation at all?

The Players is a special tournament that is good enough, prestigious enough, to stand on its own.

Even most of its participants, for whom The Players is their tournament, agree.

It’s just not a major.

Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Players Championship can’t be major until all golfers allowed to play

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