The PGA Tour’s Flagship Event, The Players Championship, is almost upon us but, before then, there’s the matter of a Signature Event – the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Going into the week, Russell Henley defends the title from 12 months ago and, speaking at a pre-tournament press conference, the American was asked about whether next week’s event at TPC Sawgrass should fall under the Major category, something that has been an ongoing argument for a while.
Scheffler is the only player to defend The Players Championship
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Speaking at Bay Hill Club & Lodge prior to his Arnold Palmer Invitational defense, Henley stated: “I mean, I think it’s a Major. It’s our home tournament. I don’t know the statistics on like what they say, like best field in golf or whatever, but, I mean, it is.
“And (there’s) the history with that tournament. I mean, I’ve always considered that a Major in my mind. It’s just such a tricky golf course and it rewards great shots, typically. It visually is very intimidating. I feel like if you have a good week there you’ve done a lot of really good things.
“You look at the past champions and nobody is really, it hasn’t really favored any one player. People typically don’t win it back-to-back, unless you’re Scottie (Scheffler). But it’s, yeah, it’s a tournament I always look forward to, I love the challenge of it and I consider it a Major.”
Henley defends his Arnold Palmer Invitational title at Bay Hill this week
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Back in February, during the WM Phoenix Open, Brandel Chamblee made a bold Players Championship claim, even going as far as to say it’s “above all the other four Major championships.”
Discussing various topics at TPC Scottsdale during the PGA Tour event, Chamblee explained how the strength of the field and the history of The Players Championship warrants it to be a Major, with the Golf Channel Analyst making a number of points throughout.
“They’re meant to be harder events to win, because of the pressure, because of the setup, because, you know, everything’s right on the line… By virtue of the fact that only one person in its 50 year history has managed to successfully defend it, I would argue that it is the hardest Major…
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