Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson have the same view on at least one golf topic, as the LIV Golf star and world No. 2 share their thoughts on golf’s major tournaments and what needs to change on the calendar.
Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson are on the same page: The Players will never be considered a major player, and I share this belief.
The Players’ X account posted a promotional video a few weeks before their tournament showing the best golfers in the world then flashing a page that said “March is going to be major” and soon after, veteran golf broadcaster Brandel Chamblee began speaking.
“When you look at the Players Championship, with all due respect to the other four major championships, it’s the best course in golf. It’s the deepest course in golf,” Chamblee said before the WM Phoenix Open.
“And given that only one person in its 50-year history has managed to successfully defend it, I would say it’s the hardest major championship to win.”
Many professionals stood across from Chamblee, including world No. 2 McIlroy and LIV Golf star Mickelson, which makes perfect sense considering the real history of the Players, the terrain and the difficulty of the course.
It’s hard to disagree with Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy, who is also a two-time Players Champion.
“Look, I would love to have seven majors instead of five, that sounds good,” McIlroy said before the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
“I think The Players is one of the best golf tournaments in the world. I don’t think anyone disputes that or disputes that. I think from a player’s point of view, it’s incredible. I think from a fan’s point of view on site, it’s incredible. It’s an incredible golf course, location, venue. But I don’t – like again, I’m a traditionalist, I’m a historian of the game. We have four major championships.
“You know, if you want to see what five major championships look like, look at women’s soccer. I don’t know if it’s gone well for them. But it’s the Players. Like it doesn’t need to be anything else. Like I would say, it has more identity than the PGA Championship right now.
“So from an identity standpoint, I think The Players has been successful. But it’s not – I think The Players can be – it’s an incredible tournament in its own rite and I don’t think being classified as major or non-major makes it any more or less.
“I’m still very proud of having won this tournament twice, as I’m sure all the other champions are. I don’t think so – that stands on its own without the label, I suppose.”
The Players Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass is infamous for its 17th hole, which is an island green and the course was built in 1980 as the permanent home of the Players Championship.
Even people who only know that Tiger Woods exists and was “good at golf” know about the four majors, and it would be difficult to convince an entire nation of traditionalists, let alone the entire world, that The Players should be a major.
“Ultimately,” a Tour spokesperson said, “it’s up to our sport and its fans to recognize what the professionals who play this game already know.”
The PGA Tour does not currently organize or support a single major tournament. Augusta National hosts the Masters, and even the PGA Championship is run by the PGA of America.
In five words, Mickelson responded to Chamblee’s comments, and it’s an opinion from the LIV golfer that most ultimately agree with.
“I won it. I didn’t,” Mickelson posted on X when talking about The Players Championship becoming a major tournament. Adding majors to the list now would also spoil the story, as handing out new majors to players like McIlroy and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler would pose a major question mark over the quality of the PGA Tour and golf in general.
