Paul McGinley dismisses Players as fifth major and suggests another tournament that Rory McIlroy dismissed

As leader Ludvig Åberg was preparing for his final round at The Players Championship, Paul McGinley was relegating it from fifth in the prestige rankings.

Long considered the fifth Major by many, the event at TPC Sawgrass is one of the highlights of the calendar and sets the tone nicely for Augusta in April.

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McGinley didn’t make the cut in two attempts at The Players, and thinks the Olympics is a bigger event.

“Enjoy the last day in what some consider should be a 5th Major, the Players,” wrote the Sky Sports pundit. “Although a terrific event I’m not aligned on that thought yet.

“I do feel if any event should be considered a 5th Major, the Olympics should be the event considered.”

Tommy Fleetwood won a silver medal behind champion Scottie Scheffler at Paris 2024.

His pre-tournament comments suggest he may agree with McGinley’s verdict.

“My generation upwards never had the Olympics as something that we would ever dream of winning,” said the Englishman.

“For us, with it not being an Olympic sport for the majority of our childhood, that’s something we would never aim for, so I think it would only be natural for us to not necessarily hold it on a pedestal just while it’s started.

“But I think the Olympics for me is sport in its purest form – it’s the most amazing event in the world.

“The last two gold medal winners in Justin and Xander were fantastic for the game – I’m pretty sure kids will start growing up dreaming a bit.

“If I was to win a gold medal, it would go there alongside any other achievement I’ve ever had.

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“It really is special, and it is the most special sporting event in the world.

“For us, we just didn’t grow up with that, but I’m sure kids will from now on and it will be very high.”

Rory McIlroy shrugs off back injury before Masters

Rory McIlroy recorded top-five finishes in Paris and Tokyo, but missed out on medals both times.

He isn’t sure if the Olympics deserves to rank alongside The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open Championship.

“It’s hard to say [whether the Olympics will become like a major], as even this week, the way the qualification system works, not all the best players in the world are here,” said the Northern Irishman in 2024.

“You’d like to think that if you’re going to win something really prestigious in the sport then you want all the best players playing and that isn’t quite happening here.

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“It’s still very meaningful and if I were to win a medal, especially a gold medal, it would mean a lot to me.”

McIlroy’s comments may ring true for The Players as well, which is missing LIV Golf superstars like Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, who won in Singapore over the same weekend.

Defending champion McIlroy almost had to sit out himself with a back injury but managed to compete and narrowly made the cut despite abuse from fans.

The five-time Major champion eased concerns over his fitness for Augusta with a 367-yard drive to set up an eagle putt on the par-4 12th.

“I feel like my game sort of progressively got a little bit better as the week went on, even though the scores probably didn’t reflect it,” he said after finishing level par for the tournament.

“I hit the ball well, I just didn’t make anything on the greens. Happy to come through four rounds and feel like my body held up well.”

McIlroy will now rest until the first official Major begins on April 9.

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