Rob “Hardy” Poole: Why I’m no longer annoyed by the Players Championship
I used to get annoyed at the phrase “golf’s 5th major.” Especially when the governing bodies of women’s golf actually added a 5th major in 2013, the Evian Championship. You can’t do that. “Oh, now this is a major championship too!” Why? How?
So, why am I no longer annoyed when The Players Championship, taking place this weekend at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, is called an unofficial 5th major? I’m not exactly sure, but I think it has to do with these reasons:
The Winners:
The list of winners of The Players Championship is, well, a list of players.
Jack Nicklaus won the inaugural event in 1974 (and again in 1976 and 1978), and since then the list of champions includes:
Lee Trevino (1980), Fred Couples (1984, 1996), Davis Love III (1992, 2003), Greg Norman (1994), Tiger Woods (2001, 2013), Phil Mickelson (2007), Justin Thomas (2021), and Scottie Scheffler (2023).
The Field:
From the PGA Tour website:
- 49 of the top 50 players in the current FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List (all but No. 27 Ben Taylor)
- 43 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking
- Eight PLAYERS Champions and six FedExCup Champions
- PGA TOUR winners combining for 323 TOUR titles, including all 14 players that have won on TOUR this season
The Course:
Like other majors, the course has to be part of the story. The Masters has Augusta National, and the Open Championship and U.S. Open have their rotation of storied layouts. The PGA Championship probably suffers the most in this regard, but The Players Championship has been played at the Stadium Course since 1982. As a viewer, you get to know the course, even if you don’t know all the players. The island green on the par 3 17th alone is enough to make this tournament appointment viewing for golf fans.
So, it’s not an actual major. But if you want to call it one unofficially, I’m not going to stop you. I’ll be too busy watching and wondering if someone is going to dunk their tee shot on the second to last hole on Sunday and dash their hopes of joining the ranks of (almost) major championship winners.
Since its inception in 1974, the field has been impressive, and this year is no exception. From the PGA website:
- 49 of the top 50 players in the current FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List (all but No. 27 Ben Taylor)
- 43 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking
- Eight PLAYERS Champions and six FedExCup Champions
- PGA TOUR winners combining for 323 TOUR titles, including all 14 players that have won on TOUR this season
Rob “Hardy” Poole co-hosts Toucher & Hardy weekday morning from 6-10AM. Follow him @Hardyradio on X/Twitter
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