Brandel Chamblee's Plea For The Players To Become Golf's Fifth Major Is Petty And Desperate | Mark Harris
Professional golf has designated the same four tournaments as major championships since 1934, the year of the first Masters. Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee believes a fifth major should be introduced and has tapped The Players to fill that slot.
Why? Because a few top players took Saudi money and joined LIV Golf; adding a major exclusive to the PGA Tour would deliver a significant blow to the breakaway circuit.
During Wednesday's edition of 'Live From The Open,' Chamblee made his case for The Players to officially be recognized as a fifth major.
“LIV has managed to poach some compelling players away from the PGA Tour, and it’s made the majors more compelling,” Chamblee explained. “But I think there should be more sting in defecting away from the PGA Tour. I can’t think of a better way to do that than make the Players Championship a major.
"It should have been a major eons ago, and in my view it is. But it should have that designation. The PGA Tour has the power to do that. The players have the power to do that.”
Brandel Chamblee believes The Players should be designated as the fifth major championship in golf. (Photo by Chris Condon/PGA TOUR)
Brandel Chamblee Has Officially Crossed The Line
To his credit, Chamblee has been outspokenly opposed to everything involved with LIV Golf, criticizing its funding from the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) and calling it a sports washing operation from Day 1.
READ: PGA TOUR, LIV GOLF WILL BE ABLE TO POACH PLAYERS FROM EACH CIRCUIT AFTER DROPPED AGREEMENT
While he's been incredibly consistent with his bashing of LIV Golf, he's jumped the shark with this new push for a fifth major for no other reason than to get back at players who left the Tour.
First and foremost, there doesn't seem to be an appetite for the addition of a fifth major championship.
The golf world - players, fans, and media - have long considered The Players to be 'golf's fifth major,' but there is a big difference in 'considering' it a major and actually designating it as one.
The Players already has plenty going for it with it being held at TPC Sawgrass each year, the highest purse, and arguably the strongest field in golf. I would also argue the fact that it isn't a major championship plays to its advantage as it stands alone as the undisputed, premier event on the PGA Tour.
Designating The Players as a major would take away the charm the event already has, while simultaneously watering down the other four majors, at least for the select few golf fans who would actually recognize The Players as a major in that scenario.
Those are just the facts about the tournament itself, the motive behind Chamblee's public outcry for the Tour to take him up on his idea is another mess entirely.
The Players becoming a major championship would only hurt the tournament itself, along with the four majors we already have. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Introducing A Fifth Major Would Only Water Down Professional Golf
Chamblee managed to put his foot in his mouth during the pitch without even realizing it saying, "LIV has managed to poach some compelling players away from the PGA Tour, and it’s made the majors more compelling."
The majors are "more compelling" with LIV players involved and the drama surrounding the situation, so as a response, the Tour should push to designate The Players as a Tour-exclusive fifth major and, in turn, make majors less compelling.
That seems to be Chamblee's incredibly flawed line of thinking here.
At the end of the day, this is Brandel Chamblee and Golf Channel continuing to insert drama into the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf situation. It shouldn't go unnoticed that Chamblee decided to stir this spot while sitting on a set at Royal Liverpool less than 24 hours before the opening round of The Open.
Every player and every fan wants to see the best golfer in the world compete against each other as often as possible, period. A made-up major operated by the PGA Tour to exclude Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cam Smith, Phil Mickelson, and others would make the Tour worse than it could imagine.
Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris