Make Players Championship the 5th Major - B. Chamblee

[LBB]

I'd be fine if they increase the OGWR points to the winner to 100 instead of 80 to match the other majors.  But other than that, simply calling it a major doesn't actually mean anything.  The Players already has the strongest/deepest field due to their exemption and qualification rules (that are stricter than the majors) and has the biggest purse outside of the Tour Championship and LIV championship. 

 

I don't see how officially making it a major will somehow strengthen the field or magically or increase the prize pool that would then lead to more viewership.  If that were the case, then the PGAT should really aim to have about 12 majors a year so they can trick fans and advertisers into generating more revenue into the sport artificially.

 

If the PGAT were to be successful in arbitrarily designating an event as more important than others, then the FedEx Cup playoffs and the Tour Championship would be the highest rated events on the golf calendar.  Except they are not.

[dalehead]

Why do we need a 5th major?

 

Anyone…?

[Chunkitgood]

Because I suspect the current lineup in the current schedule is not producing the result desired in terms of viewer interest and such.

 

I think they made a serious mistake jamming them all together.  Another one would lengthen the “major season.”

 

I don’t know why things have happened the way they have.  Somewhere somebody got greedy, is my guess, resulting in made for tv “drama” like the FedEx Cup.  Who knows who won last year?

[Chunked]

On 7/22/2023 at 2:27 PM, ilikegolf26 said:

Because the best players in the world aren’t allowed to play in the US Am……

I don’t see how it matters if professionals aren’t allowed. They were allowed before they became professionals. 

[mosesgolf]

I still don't consider the Evian a major on the LPGA and would never consider the TPC a major as well.  

[jimecherry]

2 hours ago, Chunkitgood said:

Because I suspect the current lineup in the current schedule is not producing the result desired in terms of viewer interest and such.

 

I think they made a serious mistake jamming them all together.  Another one would lengthen the “major season.”

 

I don’t know why things have happened the way they have.  Somewhere somebody got greedy, is my guess, resulting in made for tv “drama” like the FedEx Cup.  Who knows who won last year?

that should be almost everyone everywhere got greedy ;}

[tiderider]

On 7/21/2023 at 10:38 PM, subrew said:

Brandel was on his soapbox about this Thursday on the "Live at the Open" show, before he published his opinion piece.  It was very much during a discussion about how the PGAT players should "protect" themselves from those terrible outside players (LIV) and create a fifth major so they could exclude others.  

 

I forget who he was arguing with, but the other guy kept laughing politely, trying to disagree.  But once Brandel gets up on his soapbox, he goes all-in.  

yeah, much to his disservice ... this is a horrible take by him ... 

[bscinstnct]

BC say the players should be a major to punish the liv players 

 

Very “loseristic” thinking as one of my coaches used to say lol

 

The players is already distinguished as “the 5th major” at this point. Everyone knows it’s got field strength up there with any of the Majors. And it generates just as much fan interest as the majors  as well.

 

 

 

[dropkicked]

BC has a face you just want to punch... Like a solid shot to the chin would do him some good...

 

 

 

 

🤣

[Duct Tape]

On 7/21/2023 at 1:46 PM, Titleist99 said:

LIVE FROM....is the highest rated programming on Golf Channel, thanks to BC

Perhaps, from a different perspective, this says something about current GC programming. 
 

Bring back Holly Sonders.    
 

No, wait a minute…..   🤓😀😀

[kthomas]

LIV completely scrambled Brandel's brain.

 

His takes on foreign politics since the inception of LIV are consistently vapid and intellectually lazy.

 

This is just another dumb take from Brandel.  

[bobfoster]

Sometimes that guy is just an idiot.

 

No one can just sort of decide to call something a "major". There's no central world governing body that can anoint a tournament and put a crown on its head. The majors are the majors because they are universally acknowledged as the majors by fans and players. 

 

The real way to tell? If proponents (like BC) try to give reasons why a tournament should be a major, and others come back with reasons against ... the mere fact that there's a discussion means its not a major. 

 

Try come come up with reasons for or against the Masters being a major. Any reasons for or against are meaningless - it's just, like, Augusta, ya'know? Why is The Open a major? Because of the quality of the field? The courses it is played on? Doesn't enter into it. It's a major because, well, it's The Open. It just is. 

 

The Players is (basically) the equivalent of the annual Club Championship of the PGAT. Even the guys that win it don't feel like they've won a "major". 

 

Sometimes that guy is just an idiot.

[Titleist99]

7 hours ago, dalehead said:

Well, for starters, the golf course. The tournament was started by Jones. Being scheduled at the start of the golf season for many folks in the country, it’s a fan favorite.

 

Just a brief history of how the majors became the majors. In the early days of the PGA tour, prior to WWII, nobody really thought about major tournaments, there were just tournaments. Some were more highly prized by the players. The PGA Championship, the US and British Opens for starters, but also titles that came with big purses like the LA Open. If you’ve ever seen the Ben Hogan film biography “Follow the Sun”, the players talk about winning “the Big One”. They were taking about the LA Open. Another factor that made a title highly prized was the course on which it was contested. In those early days the tour didn’t always get to play top courses, so the players really appreciated the opportunity to play at courses like Pinehurst 2 for the North South Open or the Chicago area courses for the Western Open.

 

The first mention of “major championships” was in a 1950’s article written by Herbert Warren Wind in which he suggested that a player’s career should be judged by the major championships he had won, but he didn’t delineate what those championships were.

 

Then came Arnold Palmer. He boldly stated his goal was to win all four major professional championships in the same year, reminiscent of Jones Grand Slam of 1930 in which he won the four biggest tournaments open to him as an amateur. Palmer named the 4 championships he was targeting. The US Open, the British Open, the PGA, and the Masters. In the short time since it’s founding in 1934 the Masters had come to be highly regarded by the players, especially the top players, Hogan, Snead, Nelson, etc. Being one of the first tournaments to be televised in the early days of TV brought it into the consciousness of golf fans. 

 

Soon after Jack Nicklaus came on the scene. He not only embraced the idea of a Grand Slam in a single year, he said his goal was to break Jones’ record of 13 major championships by winning the four professional majors. 
 

So the idea of major championships became embraced by fans and players, with the latest player aspiring to break the career majors record being Tiger Woods.

 

So I think we can say a lot goes into a tournament becoming a major. Just calling it a major doesn’t make it so.

LOL!!......The Western Open was once considered a major until it wasn't......

[widow-maker]

5 hours ago, Titleist99 said:

LOL!!......The Western Open was once considered a major until it wasn't......

Yeah, but that was over 60 years ago.  For the past 60 years, the 4 current Majors have ruled.  Which means that they have history on their side.  

 

The problem with trying to replace one of the current Majors with a different tournament is that nobody has the right or the authority to do that.  There's no one group that has the power to do it.  The PGA Tour would have done it a long time ago if they could have gotten away with it.  Nobody owns the idea of what is and what isn't a Major.  It's an idea, it's not a property to be traded or sold.  Anybody who tried to declare their tournament a Major would just be laughed and scoffed at. 

[NV825]

13 hours ago, dalehead said:

Well, for starters, the golf course. The tournament was started by Jones. Being scheduled at the start of the golf season for many folks in the country, it’s a fan favorite.

 

Just a brief history of how the majors became the majors. In the early days of the PGA tour, prior to WWII, nobody really thought about major tournaments, there were just tournaments. Some were more highly prized by the players. The PGA Championship, the US and British Opens for starters, but also titles that came with big purses like the LA Open. If you’ve ever seen the Ben Hogan film biography “Follow the Sun”, the players talk about winning “the Big One”. They were taking about the LA Open. Another factor that made a title highly prized was the course on which it was contested. In those early days the tour didn’t always get to play top courses, so the players really appreciated the opportunity to play at courses like Pinehurst 2 for the North South Open or the Chicago area courses for the Western Open.

 

The first mention of “major championships” was in a 1950’s article written by Herbert Warren Wind in which he suggested that a player’s career should be judged by the major championships he had won, but he didn’t delineate what those championships were.

 

Then came Arnold Palmer. He boldly stated his goal was to win all four major professional championships in the same year, reminiscent of Jones Grand Slam of 1930 in which he won the four biggest tournaments open to him as an amateur. Palmer named the 4 championships he was targeting. The US Open, the British Open, the PGA, and the Masters. In the short time since it’s founding in 1934 the Masters had come to be highly regarded by the players, especially the top players, Hogan, Snead, Nelson, etc. Being one of the first tournaments to be televised in the early days of TV brought it into the consciousness of golf fans. 

 

Soon after Jack Nicklaus came on the scene. He not only embraced the idea of a Grand Slam in a single year, he said his goal was to break Jones’ record of 13 major championships by winning the four professional majors. 
 

So the idea of major championships became embraced by fans and players, with the latest player aspiring to break the career majors record being Tiger Woods.

 

So I think we can say a lot goes into a tournament becoming a major. Just calling it a major doesn’t make it so.

 

TL;DR version: The King spoke, and the peasants listened. 🍻

[gvogel]

25 minutes ago, NV825 said:

 

TL;DR version: The King spoke, and the peasants listened. 🍻

Well, don't watch the Masters next spring.

[gvogel]

6 hours ago, Titleist99 said:

LOL!!......The Western Open was once considered a major until it wasn't......

Well, maybe by Walter Hagen.

[Titleist99]

1 hour ago, widow-maker said:

Yeah, but that was over 60 years ago.  For the past 60 years, the 4 current Majors have ruled.  Which means that they have history on their side.  

 

The problem with trying to replace one of the current Majors with a different tournament is that nobody has the right or the authority to do that.  There's no one group that has the power to do it.  The PGA Tour would have done it a long time ago if they could have gotten away with it.  Nobody owns the idea of what is and what isn't a Major.  It's an idea, it's not a property to be traded or sold.  Anybody who tried to declare their tournament a Major would just be laughed and scoffed at. 

While I agree somewhat......money has a way of changing people's mind. If the PIF gave the R&A and the other major bodies  $5B a piece tomorrow, we'd have a 5th major..... 🙂

[Duct Tape]

20 hours ago, Duct Tape said:

Perhaps, from a different perspective, this says something about current GC programming. 
 

Bring back Holly Sonders.    
 

No, wait a minute…..   🤓😀😀

LOL, was just joking @gvogel  !!  (Saw your emoji)

 

I mean, have you seen her lately?  Complete with Oscar de la Hoya tattoo. Topless golf business venture. Not the girl next door….    

Edited July 26, 2023 by Duct Tape

[BlackDiamondPar5]

23 minutes ago, Duct Tape said:

LOL, was just joking @gvogel  !!  (Saw your emoji)

 

I mean, have you seen her lately?  Complete with Oscar de la Hoya tattoo. Topless golf business venture. Not the girl next door….    

 

 

23 minutes ago, Duct Tape said:

LOL, was just joking @gvogel  !!  (Saw your emoji)

 

I mean, have you seen her lately?  Complete with Oscar de la Hoya tattoo. Topless golf business venture. Not the girl next door….    

Before she puts on the make up 😂

 

 

Edited July 26, 2023 by BlackDiamondPar5

[jdl]

[Barfolomew]

How do you declare a tourney a major anyways?  Get a merit badge or some ish?

[TiScape]

On 7/21/2023 at 12:46 PM, mat562 said:

I don't think the game needs a fifth Major.

 

If it does, the last place it needs to be is in the U.S. The Australian Open would get my vote. Or a new, roving championship that spans the globe.

Of the 14 ‘heart reactions’ to this post, I’m curious how many of the reactions come from non-US members… 🤔 I’m going w/~75%

😆

You do make a good point though regarding the “roving championship”. 👍🏼

[TiScape]

18 minutes ago, Barfolomew said:

How do you declare a tourney a major anyways?  Get a merit badge or some ish?

I think it’s like getting “knighted”??? 🤷🏼‍♂️

[TiScape]

On 7/25/2023 at 4:52 PM, Duct Tape said:

Perhaps, from a different perspective, this says something about current GC programming. 
 

Bring back Holly Sonders.    
 

No, wait a minute…..   🤓😀😀

This thread got me to Google… Oh wow, I’m no expert, but I think she’s had ‘a little work done’. And it looks like Oscar has had a “refresh” or 3 as well. Yikes! 

[BlackDiamondPar5]

1 hour ago, TiScape said:

This thread got me to Google… Oh wow, I’m no expert, but I think she’s had ‘a little work done’. And it looks like Oscar has had a “refresh” or 3 as well. Yikes! 

OMG truly disgusting. 

[Chunkitgood]

Don’t know about how to declare a major, but the governor declared me a colonel many years ago.  And that was one who didn’t go to jail.

[kasting333]

On 7/26/2023 at 2:44 PM, widow-maker said:

Yeah, but that was over 60 years ago.  For the past 60 years, the 4 current Majors have ruled.  Which means that they have history on their side.  

 

The problem with trying to replace one of the current Majors with a different tournament is that nobody has the right or the authority to do that.  There's no one group that has the power to do it.  The PGA Tour would have done it a long time ago if they could have gotten away with it.  Nobody owns the idea of what is and what isn't a Major.  It's an idea, it's not a property to be traded or sold.  Anybody who tried to declare their tournament a Major would just be laughed and scoffed at. 

If nobody has authority then what’s stopping them? Pay the media off and you can create a major overnight 

[Barfolomew]

Been emailing Brandel..... he says its no biggie take an hour tops and likes the Phoenix AZ Holiday Inn for his "Players is now a Major" announcement.  He said Tiger can't make it... 

[Dutch1008]

"The reason you haven't felt it is because it doesn't exist. What you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons." - Don Draper

 

The Grand Slam and Majors are no different. Invented by the media to craft a deeper narrative and sell a story. A journalist (O.B. Keeler) coined the term Grand Slam to describe Bobby Jones winning The Open, US Open, US Am, British Am. 30 years later, Arnold Palmer told a journalist that the modern grand slam was The Open, Masters, PGA, US Open. The journo wrote it, others copied it, and the next thing you know, it became common knowledge. 

 

There is no singular gatekeeper. You cannot individually manifest common knowledge. The media and marketing machines try all the time, but what ultimately sticks happens organically. A clever ad exec (Draper), talented story teller (Keeler), or domain expert (Palmer) will sing the song, it may become a hit but probably wont. 

 

As for The Players who knows. It has the deepest field, and prior to the LIV disruption, the largest purse. It is, by any logical definition a major (lower case m) golf tournament. Whether or not it becomes a Major (capital M) championship will depend on the story that the missionary tells and whether the population at large accepts that missionary. Keeler, Palmer, and fictionally Draper we're successful missionaries. I doubt Brandel will succeed but that doesn't mean a better story teller wont.

 

Riddle me this, if Jordan Spieth wins the PGA next year, and Tiger gives an interview saying, "these days, you can't really call it a career grand slam without the Players, it's the toughest field we play".  Would that cement it? Would a comment from Tiger carry the same weight that Arnold's did?