Room for one more?

Next year will see the Players Championship at Sawgrass move its schedule to May in the hope that it can attain a higher profile and achieve the much coveted title of the fifth Major. But what are the origins of the tournaments that constitute golf’s four Majors, and will it ever be possible for the affectionately known TPC to become one?

In 1930 the great amateur Bobby Jones completed what was then dubbed the ‘Grand Slam’ of golf by winning the British Open, British Amateur, US Open and US Amateur in the same year. These were the most significant tournaments of the time and attracted the greatest players from around the world. By providing the opportunity to prove oneself as the best, they were known as the major championships.

As golf has evolved and grown in popularity the Grand Slam now comprises The Masters held in April, the U.S. Open in June, The Open in July and the PGA Championship in August, and these are now considered to attract the best international players of the modern game.

The youngest of the modern Majors is an annual event started in 1934 by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts which became known as the Masters Tournament in 1939. Held annually at Augusta National, it retains its stature by inviting the best players in the world to play on a course that always provides a stiff test of golf.