The Players may not hold official major status, which is the subject of much debate, but this week’s PGA Tour’s flagship event is once again expected to provide one of the highlights of the golf calendar.
Rory McIlroy returned as the defending champion with a playoff win over J.J. Spaun, following Scottie Scheffler’s back-to-back titles the past two years, leaving both players with a chance to join Jack Nicklaus as the only three-time champions in tournament history.
FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood is among a strong squad looking to end the long wait for the first British winner of The Players, while two-time major champion Collin Morikawa is aiming to win another title following his early-season PGA Tour success.
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This week, the stars of the PGA Tour will gather at TPC Sawgrass for The Players, which will be broadcast extensively live on Sky Sports throughout the week.
The tournament has been regularly labeled as the unofficial “Fifth Major” because of the strength of its field, iconic venue and high prize money offered at TPC Sawgrass, but a PGA Tour promotional video ahead of this year’s contest reignited that debate.
“March will be a major” was the tagline used by the PGA Tour, sparking a new debate about whether it can be classified alongside the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and British Open among men’s golf’s traditional majors.
“I think The Players is one of the best golf tournaments in the world,” McIlroy said last month, live on Sky Sports Golf from Thursday, ahead of his title defense. “I don’t think anyone would dispute or debate this.
“I think it’s great from a player standpoint. I think it’s great from a fan experience on site. It’s a great golf course, location, venue. But I’m a traditionalist and a historian of the game and we’ve had four major championships.”
Rory McIlroy returns to The Players as defending champion
While the continued ineligibility of players in the LIV Golf League makes a transfer claim to Major League Baseball difficult to discuss, McIlroy, who completed his career Grand Slam last April, believes The Players occupy a unique and distinct place in the sport.
“It’s The Players. It doesn’t have to be anything else,” McIlroy added. “I would say it has more of an identity than the PGA Championship at this point. So from an identity standpoint, I think The Players has established that.”
“The Players is a great tournament in its own right, and I don’t think being classified as a major makes it any better or less than that. I’m still very proud of winning that tournament twice, as I think all the other champions are. I think this tournament can stand on its own without a label.”
Players: “Major in every way except name”
Phil Mickelson last month dismissed the idea that The Players would qualify as a major, saying, “I won.” But former FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel believes he is strong enough to move up the ranks.
“I’ve said it before, I think this is my fifth major,” Horschel told Sky Sports at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “It doesn’t really matter to me whether I get selected for the fifth major or not.
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Tiger Woods reflects on his two wins at The Players, including the 2001 win that became one of the most iconic moments of his career.
“If between the Major and The Players, the only thing I won was the Players Championship, I would consider it a major because that’s what I think about this event. When you look at the history of the event, the way it’s been promoted and the way it’s been supported in the Northeast Florida community, I think it deserves a major.”
“I’m biased. I live there. I have great relationships with a lot of people on the PGA Tour, not just the top executives. A lot of people who work there do a lot for the PGA Tour and are not recognized. I want it to become a major, but I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.”
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A look back at some of the most memorable putts made on TPC Sawgrass’ iconic par-3 17th hole
Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, Tyrrell Hatton and 2022 champion Cameron Smith have all missed out since joining the LIV Golf League, but Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee maintains The Players remains the strongest field in golf.
“I would argue that The Players is doing exactly what a major championship should do,” Chamblee said on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast. “I would say that no other major championship can bring together the best field, especially now that the game is falling apart.
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See all the televised hole-in-ones on the iconic 17th hole, one of the most famous holes on the PGA Tour.
“The exemptions are somewhat politicized because some disciplines have an accumulation of exemptions and past winners. If you look at the U.S. Open, it’s open. If you look at the Open, it’s open.
“They provide great stories and themes and underdog stories, but from a meritocracy standpoint, they’re not the best players all year round. What the players are doing is assembling the best, deepest, most meritocratic elite field in the entire world of golf every year.”
“History should never be passed down. History is accumulated by successful venues over time. The Players has been around for nearly 50 years and has been at TPC Sawgrass since 1982. During that time, we have consistently provided the best fields in every major championship golf event.”
TPC Sawgrass makes The Players the “toughest tournament to win”
This week’s venue continues to provide unique tests for players, with the famous “island” par-3 17th being one of the course’s standout features that may not suit a particular player’s style.
“Golf courses can challenge you in so many different ways, and I think that’s what makes this course such a great test,” Scheffler said before last year’s title defense, where he finished tied for 20th. “This isn’t the type of place where you pick horses for the course, it’s just the guys who play the best that are going to be on the leaderboard on Sunday.”
Scheffler is the only player to successfully defend his title at The Players, and the world’s No. 1 chef is one of only eight players to win the tournament multiple times.
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Let’s take a look at how Scottie Scheffler overcame injury issues to defend his title at The Players 2024.
“I would argue that this tournament is also the most difficult tournament to win in all of golf, given the nature of the golf course and the fact that it has only been successfully defended once before,” Chamblee explained. “Unlike other major championships, no one style of play is allowed to win.
“It’s not based on power. It’s not based on accuracy. You don’t need a week of heavy rough, a week of setup. People like to criticize TPC Sawgrass, but this is one of the best golf courses in the world to play a major championship.”
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Wayne Reilly analyzes TPC Sawgrass’ daunting 16th and 17th holes, calling the latter ‘evil’
The Players’ previous two winners also won the Masters a month later, and McIlroy admitted last year’s success at Sawgrass was a “launching point of confidence” to end his 11-year wait for a fifth major title.
Whoever PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolup awards the trophy to on Sunday won’t have won a major title, but he’ll have a lot of recognition for winning one of golf’s most prestigious awards, and he’s in for a potentially big year.
Watch The Player live all week long on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the opening match will begin on Sky Sports Golf from 11:30am on Thursday. Get Sky Sports now and stream without a contract.
