The Players Championship Proves Why the Term “Major” Doesn't Matter Anymore

The Players Championship is the unofficial fifth major of golf, but debating whether it should become “official” shouldn’t matter.

The word “major championship” does not have the same meaning that it once did. The Players Championship is proof of this.

First of all, the purse for this tournament is $10 million, with the winner taking home $1.8 million. With so much money at stake, every player’s focus should be at its peak this week.

The field is arguably the strongest of the season, consisting of 144 players who are currently the best in the world. That's not to lessen the prestige of the Masters, but their field isn’t as strong.

The Masters allows players like Mike Weir, who hasn’t been relevant in years, to play as a past champion. Conversely, The Players Championship has all of the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup standings, while Weir—who is at No. 390 in the Official World Golf Rankings—will be watching from home.

Winning a major championship is an incredible feat today, but it was a bigger accomplishment in Jack Nicklaus’ day. A major championship was usually the only time where the best golfers in the world could play together, so it meant so much more. 

With today’s golf schedule and the sport's worldwide accessibility, the best players have more chances to play together. The World Golf Championships (WGC) didn’t start until 1999, so winning a WGC tournament is basically as valuable as winning a major championship. 

The Players Championship is also deserving of that crown, and the winner should be treated like a major champion.

Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee broke down the great history of the tournament, via Jon McCarthy of the Toronto Sun: 

"

In general I cannot think of a better-balanced golf course than this from start to finish. If you just look in the early 80s, one year Freddie Couple wins; the next year Calvin Peete wins. Come to this decade or the last 15, 20 years, you’ve got the longest player in the game in Tiger Woods for a few years, Phil Mickelson; and then you’ve got the shortest players in Tim Clark and Fred Funk winning and every sort of distance in between. The golf course doesn’t play favourites. Technical aspect, you have to perform here. From a mental aspect, I don’t know of another golf course more demanding and intimidating.

"

Sergio Garcia is a player who is ridiculed for never winning a major. However, if many think The Players Championship is basically a major already, then his victory in 2008 should be recognized.

The only reason the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship are considered majors is because history tells us so. If everything started fresh today, The Players Championship could easily be on that list, based on the course and player field. 

Wining The Players Championship in a hostile environment against tough competitors is no less a feat than winning any other major.

The Players Championship will probably never be officially known as a “major championship,” which is fine. The players already understand how significant it is, which is all that should matter.

Following his victory in 2009, Henrik Stenson told reporters, “Obviously, if I can play as well as I did today, I surely can do it on a Sunday at the majors."

Also, after such a tough week personally, Tiger Woods wouldn’t be racing back if this tournament didn’t mean anything special.

After world No. 1 Rory McIlroy won the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship last week, winning this week would be parallel to his back-to-back majors last year.

It may sound hard to believe, but it's true.

TPC Sawgrass may be roughly 400 yards less than Augusta National, but the final three holes on Sunday afternoon make up its own Amen Corner. The holes may not be as difficult, but the risk-reward factor makes the tournament so unique.

In addition, the recent change from a sudden-death playoff to a three-hole aggregate format shows how important this tournament is.

PGA tour commissioner Tim Finchem explained the format, via PGATour.com:

“Given the fact that winning (The Players Championship) means you have defeated the strongest field in golf, we felt an aggregate playoff that incorporated these three holes was a more appropriate way to determine the champion.”

It shouldn’t matter whether The Players Championship is officially changed to a major championship or not. The fact that there is even a discussion symbolizes how important the tournament already is.

Get ready for a fun week of golf, because the last three holes on Sunday afternoon will feel like a major championship, official or not.