How Would You Define the 21st Century Grand Slam?
by Ryan Ballengee on Jun 28, 2010 11:35 AM EDT
in Pro Golf
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PrintThis debate first kicked off last November, days before Tiger Woods derailed any legitimate conversation about the sport for three months. Anyhow, it seemed worth bringing back today.
From time to time, we have to step back and reevaluate the things that are vaunted in our culture.
Radio used to be king. Then it was TV. Soon, it'll be the Internet.
Big Bird was once the bomb. Then it was Elmo. Now it's some other weird puppet. (My personal fave is Oscar the Grouch.)
We also have to do the same in golf. It's the 21st century, yet we are still using the 20th century notion of the four major championships. For years, we have doubted the PGA Championship's uniqueness and continued validity as a major. I've even gone so far as to hypothetically try drinking the PGA Tour's Kool-Aid that the Players Championship is the fourth major. It didn't taste that bad, but the aftertaste had some serious impact on golf history.
Tiger wouldn't have 14 majors. Jack wouldn't have 18. We would perhaps think a little bit differently about scheduling. The whole notion of scheduling around the four majors would have to be warped to fit the nuveau set of majors. The PGA of America or Augusta National could be rendered meaningless with the stroke of the cultural pen. Could you imagine a world in which the US Open wouldn't be a major? Dream on. The implications would just be too much to swallow.
But, John Huggan got me thinking about what the majors should be in the 21st century. His geopolitical bias not withstanding, his argument about why the makeup of golf's majors should change makes sense. The world is much flatter thanks to the proliferation of competitive professional golf tours around the globe. With golf in the Olympics, it is clear that the game will become more global. Having a country like Australia, with its Triple Crown, out of the mix of majors seems like lunacy. There could be a day in which the HSBC Champions just becomes the Asian Open - without a title sponsor and with a cherished history.
The rub in all of this is the impact on the history of the sport. Tiger Woods hadn't been to Australia in 11 years until this weekend. Jack Nicklaus used to make it an annual pilgrimage. It's the same argument to be made about the Players, but thousands of miles away.
So, here's the challenge I'm laying down. If we could start over in the 21st century and redefine the four major championships (and only four, this isn't the Champions Tour), what would the Grand Slam be for you? Here's what mine would be:
- US Open
- Open Championship
- Australian Open
- Japan Open
Would yours be exactly the same? Completely different?
You can use ANY criteria that you want to get to your four. Purse size, strength of field, geographic diversity. Whatever you want. Let's have some fun with this!
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Are you assuming that sometime this century we will be beaming from place to place around the globe so travel won’t be a problem ? Are you also assuming that purses will be equalized around the world so one Tour doesn’t have most of the best players ?
OK – here’s my potential Grand Slam based on present political and economic conditions in the US.
The Shanghai Masters
The Beijing US Open
The Hong Kong British Open
and the Yang Tze PGA (get it ? YANG tze…PGA…) :-)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I would keep the current four majors we have, but add two to them, the players, and the australian open, who says golf can’t have six majors? Tradition? Thats exactly what you are implying by changing the majors; messing with tradition. And second, golf didn’t always have four majors, until the masters, there was three professional majors, with the two amateurs(U.S. and British) to round it out for the amateurs. I think six would be a good number.
Just because we change some of the majors wouldn’t mean that major totals changed. When the LPGA dropped the du Maurier and made the Women’s British a major, the old du Maurier wins continued to be counted… and the Women’s British didn’t become retroactive. In fact, the change gave way to the “Career Super Slam.” We now credit Karrie Webb with winning five different majors. In this case, Jack would still have all his majors and Tiger would have the opportunity of a super slam.
Anyway, Ryan, I think your four sound pretty good. The US and British Opens are the only two majors that have been major from the start. The Masters is an invitational, not something you qualify for, so I’m not sure it should have been a major anyway; the TPC is at least a matter of merit. If we really want to say this is a global game, we need to have majors all over the place! Choosing the Australian Open would definitely draw attention to that part of the world, and that’s a long-running tourney like the other two. The questionable one for me is the Japan Open; it’s another long-running tourney, which I think counts for a lot when you talk about majors… but would the Tour go there or China? We definitely need one major in Asia. With a little tweaking, I might go for the WGC-HSBC Championship as the fourth; I suspect that would be the political choice.
Mike Southern
www.ruthlessgolf.com
How do you figure you don’t qualify for the Masters ? Players spend all year trying to qualify for it. The only guys who don’t have to qualify are the former champions. Just because they don’t have special qualifying tournaments doesn’t mean you don’t have to qualify. Same goes for the PGA.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
When I think of the Masters, I think of...
Tiger’s chip in ‘05, Mickelson’s putt in ‘04, Tiger’s dominance in ’97, Crenshaw in ’95, Freddie in ’92, Jack & Freddie both in the mix in ’98, Faldo coming from behind in ’89, ’90 & ’96, Norman collapsing, Jack in ’86 and the list goes on.
Most of us can close our eyes and picture Amen Corner.
These guys have a green jacket: Tiger, Jack, Phil, Vijay, Freddie, Olazabal, Faldo, Crenshaw, Seve, Arnie, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Ray Floyd, Cary Middlecoff, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Jimmy Demaret, Byron Nelson, Gene Sarazen and the list goes on.
That’s what makes it a major. Call it what you what, market it how you want, try to add a 5th major, 10th major, whatever. The players want to win (1) The Masters (2) The Open Championship (3) US Open (4) PGA Championship. It may vary slightly depending on who you ask, but those are the four majors. After that, the Players, WGC events, Tour Championship and a player’s hometown event all fall into a tie for fifth.
The HSBC Champions was first played in 2005 and was won by David Howell, then YE Yang in ‘06, Phil in ’07, Sergio in ’08 & Phil again in ’09. That is the entire history of the tournament. I think its going to be a nice event and hope Tiger & Phil make it a regular stop, but it’s not going to be a major any time soon.
Don’t you think that if, for example, the Tour just randomly declared that the FBR, the Puerto Rico Open, The Transitions Championship, and the Irish Open were going to be the majors for 2010, the players (after the shock wore off) wouldn’t be lining up to win those four tournaments ? History is history – winning a major is winning a major. And remember, there are names like Cabrera, Immelman, Weir, O’Meara, Lyle, Zach Johnson, Mize, and Stadler on the trophy, too.
How about all the great names that have won at The Colonial, The Nelson, Pebble Beach, The Memorial, or Bay Hill ? Couldn’t they have become majors ? No – probably not…but the names are the same on the trophies.
The US and British Opens are always going to be majors – it’s history. The Masters grew out of respect for the greatest amateur of all time and didn’t start out to be anything other than an invitational. It was time, course, and players that turned it into a major. And the PGA is…well…I love the PGA…but it is the American PGA and not really international in its affect other than history. Other countries have their own PGA’s. History made it a major, but the Tour broke away from the PGA.
The Australian Open could be a major if PGA Tour players could be convinced of travelling halfway around the world, disrupting sleep and schedule for at least 3 weeks out of the year. They have the courses, and there have been greats (Palmer and Nicklaus) who used to make the trip to give their tour a boost….which is basically what Hogan, Palmer, and Nicklaus did for the British Open that restored its major status. Remember, Hogan couldn’t win the Grand Slam in ‘53 because The PGA was right after The British and he couldn’t get back in time.
By the way – I agree with you 100% – there are very few things in golf easier to picture in the mind of a golfer than Amen Corner….well…maybe DLIII’s chip in at 16…years before Tiger did it !! (lol)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
You might find that worldwide, the Open comes before the Masters
either way…the only one that should change, if there was to be one, would be the PGA in August. It is the least important, make the 4th in Australia…having more than 4 would make every champions efforts from the past diluted, as new players would have 5 chances a year…it won’t happen. Golf thrives on it’s history more than any other sport.
If winning the four majors is somehow indicative of being ’ the best golfer in the world’ then we need the world represented. Let’s start with one major in each major timezone:
the Open (Europe)
US Open (America)
HSBC Champions (China/Asia)
Then let’s have one major that moves around (eg a redefinition of one of the other WGC’s). It could rotate through US, Europe (but not UK), Australia, South Africa, other Asian countries, Middle East, etc on say a 6-year cycle.
Perhaps someone else can solve the timing issues this might cause.
I would go with the following:
The Masters
The US Open
The Open Championship
The PGA Championship
The history and tradition of these tournaments are part of what make them majors. The thought of a worldwide tour with worldwide majors is nice, but the history isn’t there.
Aaron Baddeley and Peter Lonard have both won back-to-back Australian Open championships in the past ten years. That immediately prevents the tournament from leaving the following category: “Events Won By Aaron Baddeley & Peter Lonard” AKA “definitely not a major”.
I would like to see the WGC get behind a couple more worldwide events and have them count towards both the PGA & European Tours. Adding the WGC moniker and prize money to events in Australia & South Africa, as well as returning the World Cup to a WGC event, would give more top players the incentive to play.
The travel is ultimately the issue, though. If you can’t get Tiger there, the fans and media won’t accept it as a big deal regardless of what the tours or sponsors say.
But, is the Australian Open in rougher shape because of the rise in money in other tourneys in the US? I mean, there may be a cause and effect to make the Aussie Triple Crown fields weaker.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Nov 17, 2009 8:57 AM EST up reply actions
…meaning…. ? I can’t tell anymore – are you making a point or taking a shot ?
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
If it were up to me
the best players in the world would play every week, all over the world, for my viewing pleasure.
However, its not realistic for the players. We’re lucky to see Tiger and Phil playing the international schedules that they are this year. I hope it continues, but don’t expect them to spend the entire offseason playing on the other side of the world.
what if...
They could play the Australian Masters in Albuquerque. Doing so would resolve the time zone issue, but the Aussies would probably get p*ssed.
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
That would screw up the swirl rotation of the Albuquerque
toilets, Diane, no?
The auusie would be a major if the top 100 played it...
but as we already know, Americans won’t go all that way for one event unless it was a major…come to think of it, Kenny Perry refused to play the Open…silly lad.
Keep the 4 Majors in Place the way they stand.
If I was in charge I would add some type of “WORLD OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP” to be hosted in a different country every year. But thats just me.
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
The Japan Open ? LMAO ! Be serious. A major on a pitch n putt or a resort course ?
If you insist on manufacturing majors – might as well just call it an Asian Open and move the site from country to country.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
When I made this list originally, I think I was trying to be fair geographically, haha.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroom, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Jun 28, 2010 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions
"Big Bird was once the bomb. Then it was Elmo. Now it's some other weird puppet.
(My personal fave is Oscar the Grouch.)"
My fave dummy is Rich Lerner. Most lifelike.
Majors
US Open
Open Championship
Masters
Some sort of Asian/Dubai/Australia Championship played around Thanksgiving.
Augusta just has too much history to not be contested as a major. While Sawgrass is great, it seems too gimmicky.
I’m tired of boring midwest courses that the PGA uses. Create a 4th major and share it between Austraiia/Dubai/South Africa/China/Japan.
The Open (Europe)
US Open (USA)
Australian Open (Aussie)
Asian Open (TBD)
It doesn’t make sense that 3 majors are played in USA. Majors should now be played on as many continents as possible to reflect worldwide participation combining history/future. If 3 majors were played o/s USA, the top players would travel to them (or not, so be it).
Augusta is fantabulous – doesn’t mean it has to be a major
Fantabulous sounds fantabulous. Doesn't mean it has to be a
word.
Jist sayin.
hEY JIST A DANG MINUTE
HERE, watch those impressions…..lol…it might give Wendy the wrong impression…yuk,yuk,yuk…..STUB
Why can't there be more than four majors?
A lot of people seem to forget that golf used to not have four majors. I think at the time the modern four were created, professional golf was only truly being contested in a handful of countries. In the 70+ years since the game has grown so much that there could be more than four majors. I propose 6.
Masters
U.S. Open
British Open
PGA Championship
Players Championship ( rotated around the world to countries that dont contest the others)
Asian Open.
This way the entire world is covered and most people are happy. I believe eventually this will happen, because honestly does anyone see the Masters losing it’s major status? Or the U.S. Open? Or the British? Don’t think so. As far as the PGA, that would be the best shot of changing a major, but a couple of things are against it. First the PGA Tour tried to usurp it using the Players Championship, and it didn’t work. Second in the last 20 years or so, the PGA has really gained in stature for a number of reasons, better host courses, better marketing, a better field entry criteria. Nowadays, the PGA almost every year has a field strength superior to the other three majors, that used to not be the case. My thing is i guess is if the PGA gets usurped, then who will tell Jack that his 5 PGA’s don’t count, or that Tiger’s 4 don’t count, or that Hogan’s 2 don’t count or Snead’s 3. Six majors is the way to go.
But to have 6 majors would make past achievements look poor.
So, if say Jack’s 18 are still the record, you could argue if there were 6 to go at in his time, his record would have been 27 majors, having that many more to go after. For that reason alone, it should stay 4 majors. And this notion that the PGA has stronger field than the two Opens won’t wash with me. The world top 75 more or less are in all 4 majors now, the rest just make up the numbers anyway
That’s isn’t true. What about for Harry Vardon, or Ted Ray who played in an era with only 2 majors? Does having four take away from their accomplishments? Absolutely not. You mentioned Mr. Nicklaus with 18 majors. He always considered it 20 because of his 2 amateurs. Does that take away from what Mr. Jones did? Nope. I don’t understand the hangup on only having four majors. Until the late 1940’s/early 1950’s when the masters was considered a major, the game only had three, so why can we only have four? why not 2, or 3 or 5 or 6, why does it have to be four? No one yet has presented a truly, completely valid reason for this.
This is the Modern age..
Vardon and co had to sail across the Atlantic to play in the US Open. Jones was a watershed from at time when pros were frowned upon in some quarters. As for Jack’s 2 amateurs, only in America did the call them majors, but that applied in the ’30’s. No one called the British a major, even though they did in Jone’s grand slam. No, this is world golf in the modern age, TV has etched Jack’s 18 majors in stone and like tennis, Federer, with his record in majors, count as the standard with 4 to play for. You can’t go back 150 years to justify having 6 majors now…they would cease to be majors if you had too many anyway.
The PGA does have the strongest fields of majors normally
That isn’t making up numbers, it’s cold hard facts. Not a conspiracy theory.
In my fishbowl world of professional golf I would move the Players Championship to September and get rid of the FedEx cup and the Tour Championship with a field of 30 players. I don’t think it would need to be called “the 5th Major” but I think it would have the status and strength of field to meet the criteria of the current 4.
I think the best players determine what tournaments are considered Major worthy by their willingness to attend. As more international players rise to the top and support international tournaments, other Tour players will start to consider those events as well, won’t they?
The other driving factor I guess would be money – if someone wanted to throw ridiculous money at the players and they decided to go, then I guess the strength of field might warrant that tournament to be considered a top draw. Wasn’t it just last year or so when there was all this talk about the Race to Dubai and how we could be losing players in the US? But the money dried up and so did the commitments. Had it not, I wonder who would be playing more in Europe rather than the US Tour?
I agree with the others who have said history makes up what we know of as the Majors right now and I don’t think there is any reason to change anything related to the Masters, US Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA. I love them all!
I write about golf at www.tees2greens.com, too.
More majors means less prestige...
…if everything is a major, nothing is major anymore. When the schedule was revamped, they put a major or a big tournament (WGC, Players, Tour Championship) in each month starting in March. They just moved The Players to May to play it in better weather when the bermuda is awake.
Don’t be shocked if the Fed Ex goes away if the economy doesn’t improve.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
This isn’t about making everything a major. This is about having the right number of majors to reflect the depth and berth of professional golf today….not 70 years ago when the four modern majors came into form. Back then only 8-10 countries really had golfers that could challenge at anywhere near a professional level, with the U.S. and Great Britian dominating. Nowadays, you have 80-100 countries that can field top quality players and no real country is super dominant like the aforementioned were that long ago. Four majors made sense then because the game couldn’t support more, now it most certainly can. And should.
80-100 countries ?
Don’t make me laugh. In any case, the top 100 players support 4 majors just fine. Anyone outside that usually isn’t good enough.
I've been trying to time my replies so that lukewarm warm beer
comes up through your nose. Lemme know if I ever succeed in this noble quest.
No Easing task.
Funny...I just did a 16 mile walk, with 4 pints of Black Sheep Ale on route.
Off out tonight for a curry too, but I don’t expect any beer through my nose. Some my be tempted to punch it though :)
a 16 mile walk with 4 pints ? what was that all about ?
We have The Peachtree Road Race this coming Sunday – a 10K race…but all they serve along the way is water. Maybe you’re onto something over there :-)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
If you run that 10K, Court, video please.
And we won’t have to use the slo-mo button.
not me. I did it once – that was enough. There are 50,000 people in the race, all but about 100 pay to get in. Several thousand more sneak in The t-shirts are huge prestige in this area. Watching the pros finish 6.2 miles in 23 minutes is incredible. What’s even more amazing is that they go to the finish line and run the course backwards as a warm up !
and slo-mo on me would look like I was backing up.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
lol..
It’s just a walk up on the North Yorkshire moors. After 10 miles we stopped at a pub for lunch, called the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge. Had lunch and 4 pints, as I wasn’t driving. Then another 6 mostly downhill to the cars. Lovely day, 25 c …
ah – part of the stiff upper lip, queen and country discipline thing, eh ? Was there any whistling of the “Bridge Over River Kwai” theme song ? :-)
Sounds like a great hike to me ! (haggis for lunch ?) :-D
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
The Quaker company make an Instant Haggis now.
So you can whip it up, then barf it up, all within 5 minutes.
better pack in the strawberries and cream....
…looks like Andy Murray will have the UK on its feet this weekend. He looks really strong against Jo Willie Tsonga. Federer’s out – Nadal, Djokavic, and Berdych all in the semis. It’s going to be fun !
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Late to this party
1-US Open
2-The Open Championship
3-The Masters
4-The Players Championship
you're still away,...choke on it !
Don't agree with the Players...that still makes 3 in America.
In any case,apart from the 17th, I couldn’t watch it…never mind every year as a Major.
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