Rory McIlroy makes big major call - but not about The Players Championship

A long-running debate about the possibility of The Players Championship earning the same status as The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and The Open has resurfaced over the past week following the release of a promotional video by the PGA Tour featuring a strapline: “March is going to be major”.

It’s not exactly received a wave of support from within the game, with Phil Mickelson, a former winner, insisting “it’s not” as he delivered his verdict on the event held at TPC Sawgrass in Florida being a major in waiting.

Speaking as he geared up for a title defence on his PGA Tour season debut in this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McIlroy, last year’s winner of The Players, said: “Look, I'd love to have seven majors instead of five, that sounds great.

“I think The Players is one of the best golf tournaments in the world. I don't think anyone disputes that or argues that. I think from a player perspective it's amazing. I think from an on-site fan experience it's amazing. It's an amazing golf course, location, venue.

“But 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 looks like, look at the women's game. I don't know how well that's went for them.

“But it's The Players. Like it doesn't need to be anything else. I would say it's got more of an identity than the PGA Championship does at the minute. So like from an identity standpoint, I think The Players has got it nailed.

“It is an amazing tournament in its own rite and I don't think it being classified as a major or not a major makes it any more or any less. I'm still very proud to have won that tournament twice as I'm sure all the other champions are. It stands on its own without the label, I guess.”

PGA Championship should be ‘glory’s last shot’

McIlroy then revealed that he isn’t a fan of the PGA Championship now being the second major of the season after moving from August to May in 2019.

“I think glory's last shot,” he said in reply to being asked what he thought the identity of the Wanamaker Trophy tournament should be . “I think it needs to go back to August.”

Meanwhile, the world No 2 has ditched an “experiment” with cavity back irons and gone back to his “trusty blade irons” for his first outing of the year in the US after playing in back-to-back events in Dubai in January.