A promotional video posted by The Players Championship has sparked a lot of discussion about the Players Championship’s place in golf’s biggest event. On Saturday morning, that discussion reached a new level.
A clip has gone viral and is sending the online golf community into a frenzy. On the show, Golf Channel commentator and personality Brandel Chamblee waxes poetic about the prestige of the Players Championship and how it not only deserves major status, but is better than the actual four other major championships.
“What is a major championship?” Chamblee said while speaking with fellow analysts Damon Huck and Paige McKenzie on the live set of the WM Phoenix Open. “Of course there’s history, tradition, respect and so on, but essentially these events are tough events to win. The pressure, the setup, everything being on the right line should make it a tougher event to win. So it has to be a tough event to win, it has to be a great field, it has to produce unforgettable champions and unforgettable moments.”
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“When you look at the Players Championship, with all due respect to the other four major championships, it’s the best field in golf. It’s the deepest field in golf,” Chamblee continued. “I would argue that this is the most difficult major championship to win, given the fact that only one player in its 50-year history has successfully defended it. All other players have far outnumbered those who have successfully defended it.”
“In my estimation, especially since we moved to TPC Sawgrass, from a shot value standpoint, with the exception of one hole, it’s probably the best golf course to play in a major championship. Sure, you can talk all you want about beauty, risk and reward holes, but from a shot value standpoint, you can’t touch TPC Sawgrass.”
“So by any standard of measuring whether something is a major or not, The Players is not just a major, it stands alone above the other four major championships. In my estimation, it’s the best major.”
Television commentator Brandel Chamblee looks on from the 17th tee during a practice round before the Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course on March 27, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images)
To support his point, Chamblee pointed to the fact that The Players is the only non-major event hosted by Golf Channel. live from I show it every year.
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“We’ve been doing live from major championships. We’ve been doing live from the Players Championship since 2004, since I first started working at Golf Channel. That mere fact alone brings attention to the major championships. We give it that prestige.”
more: PGA Tour video hints at The Players’ major status, but who decides?
The debate over the status of The Players Championship is nothing new. It’s been a hot topic for decades. But the aforementioned promotional video (which includes an action clip of the game’s best players playing against TPC Sawgrass and a short line that says, “March is going to be a major”) is bringing this debate back to the forefront of golf’s conversation. Will it eventually become a major? Time will tell, but it’s clear where Chamblee stands on this issue.
The 2026 Players Championship will be held from March 12th to 15th at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
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This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Brandel Chamblee says The Players will ‘stand alone on top’ of the majors
