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There has been allot of talk of the Players championship being a 5th major and generally recognized by the players as a 5th major. Me personally along with alot of the media believe in the traditional 4 majors and id like that to stay the same. I do however have a proposal which would put a players career in more perspective. My proposal is to have events known as "Exclusives". With the game of golf ever growing i believe we need to define players careers more in depth and start a new tradition in this era of golf. My idea is to have 5 "Exclusives" to every year in addition to the majors. Now while its nice to win an "exclusive" its obviously not a major but the second best thing to a major and a nice addition to any players resume.
My "Exclusives" are as follows 1) Players Championship2)The Memorial3)WGC Match Play4)Western Open(because theres always much debate whether it was or wasnt a major in the past.........well now it can be referred to as an "exclusive" 5)Australian open(we need another tourney overseas).........Now what this does is allow the guys who played the Western way back(such as hagen and others) to have this as an"Exclusive" to add to their resume because they arent getting any major credit for those victories right now.....I picked the WGC match Play because its the top 64 and a world event and the Australian because Jack wont be able to play in the WGC but yet has won 5 Australians to Tigers none to kind of even that out in terms of history to not give Jack or Woods an advantage. So you have the traditional majors yet 5 tourneys can be on your resume as "exclusives".
*NOTE US and British Amateurs will be known as just Amateurs after the year 1930 when Bobby won the slam. We for history's sake will count Jones as majors but Tiger, Jack and Arnies and whoevers will just be Amateurs and theres nothing wrong with that.(We all know what they mean)
I think we have so many great events in this era developing that a new definition of a few tournaments would do the game of golf good and also allow us to compare players from the past as well as listing some accomplishments that deserve to be listed. For example:
Tiger Woods Career:10 majors..3 amateurs..9 Exclusives(3 Westerns,3 Memorials,2 Match play,1 Players) and 25 other tour wins.
Fred Couples: 1 major..3 Exclusives(2 Players,1 Memorial) and 11 other tour wins.
Jack Nicklaus: 18 majors..2 amateurs..12 Exclusives(5 Australian opens,2 memorials,3 players,2 westerns) and 43 other tour wins.
I think you get my point here with Exclusives it gives guys such as Walter Hagen credit for his like 5 Westerns by naming them "Exclusives".......Id really love to drop any notion of 5 majors and have Exclusives to add to the great players career and even a player like Couples who gets 3 "Exclusives". With the way golf is growing i believe this ideal is terrific and would end all 5th major questions. Thats doesnt take anything away from Exlcusives because those are nice nice quality wins. If the media and fans pick up on this ideal we could have something that we give to this era of golf. I like the term "Exclusives" and i love the ideal and i hope it could somehow catch on. The 5 tourneys i picked are prestigious events and i think they are fair to all generations.....What do you guys think? I really like this ideal for the game of golf and career perspectives and i hope you do as well. maybe this can somehow catch on becuase i feel strongly about it.

Here's my solution: it ain't one, and it never will be, and coming up with a new term for the 2nd tier of events just behind the majors... Well, I dunno. I mean, everyone already recognizes tournaments like the Players, The Memorial, Bay Hill, etc., as the biggies on Tour. Certainly winning the BC Open doesn't carry the same weight.

I don't know why there ever even was any discussion about the Players being the "5th Major" - there are 4 majors, and that's pretty much that.

Theres never an answer that would make everyone happy but i believe this is a great ideal that the fans and media can use to further discussions about players careers and get rid of any 5th major talk while still having a prestigious title to those victories.

Why do we need another thing to discuss players careers? Either you win a major or you don't and the standard has always been four majors. Do you consider Adam Scott, Craig Perks, Fred Funk, or Hal Sutton equal to guys that have won The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, or PGA Championship? I certainly don't. The Players Championship is a difficult tournament but nowhere near the challenge of the four majors.

While those guys are good players they haven't won a major. Look at Michelson...he won a lot of tournaments but it didn't matter until he won a major. Prior to his Masters win there was always a question of his ability to close out big tournaments...a question about his decision making on the course, and a question of his work ethic. After winning a second major you don't find many people questioning Phil about his golf game. Winning a major validates a good career and makes it great.

Winning the Players Championship makes a good career a little better but not great. And the idea that there should be four other "Exclusives" only waters down the importance of winning a major.

Actually, didn't Sutton win a PGA waaaaaaaay back in the early 1980s? I could be wrong but I think he did.

Yes Sutton did win a major and its not at all to water down the majors. Its to protect the majors forevermore and to offer a "Exclusive" as a great achievement to ones career. With the emergence of more tournaments more tours and such "exclusives" would be a nice ideal in my opinion. It doesnt add to majors and it doesnt take away from majors. It actually gives the Players and the Memorial the definition that we already know they are. SuperTiger18 i do not believe Craig Perks or Adam Scott's win at the Players is a major thus im using the term exclusive. It is in my opinion that the players is by no means a major and now we have something to call it to for one protect the majors and still give credit where credit is due. While being a terrific addition to ones career a "Exclusive" is a notch down. I lke the ideal myself but then again i made it up

Sutton won the 1983 PGA at Riviera.

Ok i guess the Players will be the 5th major which is really what im trying to stop from happening. I think its an awsome ideal but i respect your opinions and it wont happen anyways so its all good. I did try to be respectful to all eras in my arguement.

There won't ever be a 5th major. As much as the PGA Tour would like it to be, the Players will always be a notch below the 4 - and only 4 - majors.

100% correct

Come on guys the media is already running with it and in due time it will happen. The media controls golf. The Tiger Slam the media makes it up and gives that momentum now its 100% set in stone. The "fairwell slam" has come to be accepted becuase of the golf channel....They basically with their influence control most golf language and momentum towards a 5th major and without their talks we wouldnt even be talking about a 5th major....We are talking about it because the media keeps spouting it down our throats.....My bottom line whether you like my ideal or not(thats irrevelant)..my bottom line is i believe in 4 majors but there is a movement towards a 5th and i dont want to see that happen..thus if we make a few events Exclusives that will never be the case...I see nothing wrong with making such events Exclusives which is a notch below a major which is what they are now....If we dont its inevitable the media will make it a 5th major..the talks have already begun......and you and me with no control over it will have to accept it.....and you can say well in my mind ill never accept it but too bad it will be like that for the majority of the people if the media wants it that way....i see the writing on the wall and id like the 4 majors to never expand. If your going to expand then expand with" exclusives"

Honestly, like I said before, there will never be a 5th major. Golf has had 4 majors for the last 100 years, and it will have 4 majors for the next 100. I don't see this "movement" towards a 5th major, as you put it - I see the opposite. Every time I hear it discussed, it's rejected. The media can say what they want, do what they want - whatever. The Players will never, ever be respected the way the 4 majors are by the players, and that's that.

Not to talk down on your idea, but there will never be a 5th major, and a contrived term like the "exclusives" will never catch on either.

That sounds easy enough but just wait til THe Players and remember this conversation.

It's not about easy or not easy - it's real, real easy: there are 4 majors. Period. And that's the way it's always going to be.