Getty
Rory McIlroy has won the Players Championship twice.
Rory McIlroy begins his PGA Tour season this week, defending his title at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The Northern Irishman is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, winning four tournaments, including the Masters Tournament, which gave him the Career Grand Slam. To top it all off, he won the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
Among his last year’s titles was the Players Championship, his second at this event. The golf world is currently embroiled in the debate about whether the PGA Tour’s flagship tournament should be officially considered a major, and McIlroy has weighed in on the controversy.
Rory McIlroy on a Fifth Major: “We Have Four”
GettyThe Players Championship was one of three PGA Tour titles won by Rory McIlroy in 2025.
During a press conference on Tuesday at Pebble Beach, McIlroy shared his views on the matter. His opinion leaned toward maintaining the major championships as they currently are.
“I think THE PLAYERS is one of the best golf tournaments in the world,” he said. “I don’t think anyone disputes that or argues that. I think, from a player’s 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 don’t — like again, I’m a traditionalist, I’m a historian of the game. We have four major championships,” he added.
To illustrate the basis of her opinion, McIlroy used the example of her female colleagues.
“If you want to see what five major championships look like, look at the women’s game. I don’t know how well that went for them,” he said.
The Origin of the Controversy
The question of whether or not the Players Championship should be officially considered a major resurfaced a couple of weeks ago. First, the event’s official account released a video with the subtle message that “March is going to be major.” Days later, the well-known Golf Channel commentator, Brandel Chamblee, stated that the Players is “not just a major, it is, in my estimation, the best major.”
Several prominent voices in the golf world have reacted to Chamblee’s opinion, primarily to oppose it. Former winners of both the Players and major championships, such as Phil Mickelson, Greg Norman, and Steve Elkington, have all agreed in denying the TPC Sawgrass event major championship status, as McIlroy has now done.
However, none of them deny the tremendous level of the Players Championship as one of the world’s premier tournaments. The Northern Irishman himself stated that “it doesn’t need to be anything else.”
“It’s THE PLAYERS. Like it doesn’t need to be anything else,” McIlroy said during his press conference. “Like, 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 right, 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.”
McIlroy won the Players Championship in 2019 and 2025, one of only seven players to have won it twice. Jack Nicklaus holds the record for most titles at this event, with three.
Julio Valdera Julio Valdera is a sports writer specializing in golf coverage for Heavy Sports. He has reported on the sport across major international tours, delivering breaking news, event analysis, and player-focused storytelling. Before joining Heavy, he covered golf for Newsweek and Sportskeeda, building a reputation for clear, engaging reporting and a strong command of the game’s competitive landscape. His broader journalism experience spans technology, politics, and international events. More about Julio Valdera
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