PGA Tour drops hint over fifth major in men’s golf

The PGA has teased the creation of a fifth major in golf in their latest promotional video for The Players Championship, with the promo carrying the tagline “March is going to be Major”.

The Players Championship, often stylised as ‘The Players’, has long been dubbed as the unofficial fifth major, and is it regarded as the most prestigious tournament outside of The Open, the Masters, the PGA Championship and the US Open.

The tournament is the flagship event of the PGA Tour, with its history, the strength of the field, the huge prize pot and the now-iconic host venue all contributing to its elevated status.

And the PGA have teased making its major status official, with a dramatic promotional video ending with the phrase “March is going to be Major”.

The Players has been running since 1974 and is held at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, with the event previously attracting attendances a high as 100,000 people over the four days.

The field usually includes the top 50 golfers in the world rankings as well as the top 125 from the previous season’s FedEx Cup points list and winners of PGA Tour events since the last Players, with players competing for the biggest prize pot in golf – $25m, with the winner pocketing $4.5m.

Previous winners include Jack Niklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, with a list of multiple Major-winning previous champions also adding to the esteem in which the tournament is held.

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1980 winner – and six-time Major champion – Lee Trevino said that “there’s no question in my mind” that the tournament should become the fifth major, claiming that “the viewing is absolutely unbelievable” when asked the question last year on the Golf Channel.

However, arguments against the tournament include the absence of LIV players (though this could change in the future if a deal is made between LIV and the PGA), while some detractors simply feel it is gratuitous to add a fifth major after all these years.

The 2026 edition of The Players will take place between 12 and 15 March, with McIlroy entering as the defending champion in 2026 after beating JJ Spaun in a play-off last year.