A Grip on Sports: The PGA may be fourth among golf’s majors but at least it is still considered one of them

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Four times a year our weekend plans are set. That’s due to golf having four major championships. Each bring an air of excitement to a normally pretty staid sport. So why are there just four? Wouldn’t five be better? Or seven? Inflation has hit everywhere, so why not golf?

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• Tradition is a funny thing. It can make something that shouldn’t be relevant any longer, important. And keep other, newer, more vibrant entities, stuck in the mud at the back of the crowd. That’s true with every aspect of human life, though it’s particularly prevalent in golf.

When the PGA Tour decided in 1974 to start its championship, called, boringly enough, The Players Championship, there was a push to make it a major tournament. Some 50 years later, the organization is still pushing. And the door continually gets slammed in its face.

Is it because the tournament, played at the once-reviled, now-revered TPC Sawgrass course in Jacksonville, Florida, has a lesser field than the other majors? Nope. In actuality, that tournament features more of the world’s best players than the PGA – going on this week in Rochester, N.Y. – and the British Open. Ditto for the U.S. Open.

All three of those tournaments have space reserved for qualifiers, be they club pros – NIC coach Russell Grove is playing in this week’s tournament after getting through the qualifying process – or just really good golfers.

But the British and U.S. Opens have longer histories than many countries, with the sport’s original championship beginning in 1860 and the U.S. version starting in 1895. That’s a long time.

The PGA came about for the first time in 1916, but didn’t really make a huge dent in the national consciousness for a few decades. Back then, playing sports other than baseball professionally was considered a bit crass. Because of that, the grand slam of the time consisted of the Opens and Amateur championships of the U.S. and Britain.

But Bobby Jones, the greatest golfer of his generation, changed that when he and Clifford Roberts built Augusta National in the early 1930s and put on the first Masters tournament in 1934. It immediately caught the nation’s attention, as Jones had been such a star during the roaring ‘20s and then winning the early version of the Grand Slam in 1930.

By the time the 1930s ended, there were three tournaments dominated by professionals that were of major status. And by the time television began to take control of sports in the 1950s, there was a need for a fourth. The PGA was that fourth.

Thanks to golf’s inability to truly evolve – see what’s been happening with the LIV Tour for the most recent example – that’s the way it’s been ever since.

It’s not that this weekend’s winner won’t be a worthy champion. Not when the event is being held at Oak Hill, which has hosted three U.S. Opens and three PGAs in the past. It’s a tough test.

One of the four majors has to be last on the hierarchy, however. The other three? They are just that much better. But give the PGA credit. The Tour tried for years to get the public to care more about its Players Championship. To leapfrog the club pros’ tournament into the top rung. And failed.

Blame it on tradition if you want. Blame it on the greatest names in the game being inscribed on the Wanamaker Trophy. Blame it on Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus, who each won this tournament five times. Or Tiger Woods, who won it four times and was the first to win it back-to-back. Blame it on Phil Mickelson, who sent a rush through the sport in 2021, when he won the tournament at nearly 51 years of age.

Or just blame it on golf. A sport that is not only informed by its past but also, to a certain degree, stuck in it.

No matter who you blame, or credit, forget all of it until Sunday night. And just enjoy a golf tournament that means a little more. After all, there are only four you can say that about.

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WSU: Recruiting never ends. That’s even truer today than it was 10 years ago, as it includes players from other colleges now. But in more traditional recruiting news, the Cougars had a basketball player tell the social media world yesterday he’s headed to Pullman. Colton Clark has more on Marcus Wilson, a 2024 high school graduate. … Elsewhere around the Pac-12 and the nation, Oregon is ready to move into Dan Lanning’s second season. The Ducks will rely on speed on the outside. … Azuolas Tubelis had a great day at the NBA combine. And Arizona had a great day recruiting. … How the heck did Washington win the Pac-12 men’s track title? … Can Utah make a deep run in the NCAA softball tournament?

Gonzaga: Drew Timme is at the NBA draft combine. Nothing surprising about that. He was there last year as well and intends to actually stay in the draft pool this year. But Timme is also playing in the scrimmages, which most highly thought of players, including Julian Strawther, are not doing. Theo Lawson watched Wednesday’s game and has this story.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Matt Logie will make more money than his predecessor at Montana State. He’s building a roster and added an assistant with head coaching experience. … Montana added a transfer in men’s basketball. … Weber State’s Dillon Jones impressed again at the NBA combine.

CCS: Due a combination of circumstances and injuries, the Sasquatch softball team has played much of the year with just nine or 10 players. Dave Cook tells us how they have survived with such low numbers and what’s ahead in the postseason.

Preps: Speaking of the postseason, Dave Nichols has a roundup of Wednesday’s soccer playoffs. … We mentioned yesterday the free throw rule change that will be in place next season. The Arizona Republic asked Phoenix-area coaches what they thought of it.

Indians: Clint Hurdle has spent his adult life in pro baseball. The latest aspect of his career, traveling around the Colorado Rockies’ minor league clubs, has invigorated the 65-year-old. Dave talked with him when the former manager was in Spokane recently and has this story. … Dave also has this coverage of the Indians’ 10-2 win last night in Everett.

Hoopfest: The number of teams is starting to bounce back after the pandemic cost us two tournaments. But that means there is a greater need for volunteers, especially court monitors. The deadline for signing up is near.

Mariners: Marco Gonzales was not good last night. Once again, however, his defense cost him. Kolton Wong began the game by flubbing a routine ground ball out and that seemed to open a bit of a floodgate. The final? Boston won 12-3. … Yes, we are a quarter of the way through the season. Here is what Ryan Divish thinks. … The M’s still have some talent in the minor leagues, including Cole Young.

Kraken: The game seven loss was a lesson. Or something like that.

Seahawks: Did the Hawks do enough in the offseason to fix the holes from last year? … OTAs began yesterday without two injured players, Jamal Adams and Jordyn Brooks.

Sounders: Losing to Austin 2-1? Really? Seattle didn’t play well last night and picked up an “L” for its reward.

PGA: Not many folks feel Rory McIlroy can win this title. Is that a good thing for one of the world’s best players, who seems to be buckling a bit under the pressure?

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• We could write about the Mariners every day this time of year. But why? Some days we like to drive into the deep rough once in a while. It allows us to work on our recovery skills. As you probably could tell by reading our thoughts on the PGA, we’re a little rusty. Either that, or that darn Carl Spackler let the grass grow to an insane height. We’ll go with the latter. Always blame someone else. Isn’t that the world’s motto these days? Until later …