The Players as a fifth major? Sorry, not gonna happen

	The 17th at Sawgrass offers a NASCAR-type approach to golf. AP
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The Players Championship has all the necessary ammo for a world-class event. A great field? Check. A worthy course allowing short and long hitters to win? Check. A gutsy, photogenic and thoroughly identifiable hole fraught with peril? Check. A huge purse including a major-like five-year exemption? Double check.

The Players Championship is easily the best non-major tournament each season.

However, it's not -- I repeat, not -- a major.

As much as the PGA Tour bangs its drum pronouncing the Players as the year's unofficial fifth major, most who follow golf ain't buying what the Tour is selling. Call it a respect for tradition. 

Golf hasn't designated a new major since the Masters some 72 years ago. While some continue this dubious truth in advertising (hello, NBC), this week's event is simply a stout tournament all players would love to post on their résumés.

It will also attract more eyeballs once it escapes the overwhelming NCAA March Madness competition by moving to May next year.

And that's good enough.

Look no further than the diluted Champions Tour's five majors (including two played back-to-back). And who wants to rewrite the record books to include all the past Players winners, including Jack Nicklaus' three victories?

I realize the Tour desperately wants its own major jewel. However, granting five-year exemptions and a large winner's check shouldn't guarantee Grand Slam status. The Players already is prestigious enough for the pros. Being the "Best of the Rest" isn't shameful.

If you can get past the major-wannabe hype, the Players provides viewers excellent bang for the buck. Its layout debunks the fear that bombers are taking over the Tour. Yes, past winners include long-driving Davis Love III (twice), Tiger Woods, David Duval, Fred Couples, Greg Norman and Adam Scott. However, those are sprinkled with bunters Fred Funk, Justin Leonard, Tom Kite and Lee Janzen.

The famous sphincter-puckering par-3 17th island green is highly influential in the outcome. Only two of the past 24 winners have bogeyed the hole in the final round (Steve Elkington in 1991 and Fred Funk last year). It's the NASCAR of golf, with fans and cameras awaiting the collision of ball and water. Throw a strong breeze on the vista and watch the players fidget and squirm on the tee.

Ironically, the 17th at Sawgrass wasn't even listed as one of the toughest 50 holes on Tour last year. However, the par-4 18th was tied for 27th, with 31 double bogeys and 10 triple bogeys or worse.

Speaking of majors, the Players does boast an excellent roster of past major winners. In its 31-year history, only nine winners do not own a major victory. Therefore, it's amazing to see that the current Big 5 of golf collectively own only one Players trophy. In the last 10 years, the quintuplet of Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen have won 19 majors and have combined for 17 top-five Masters finishes, compared with four at the Players, with only Woods winning, in 2001.

As mentioned, the course is an equal-opportunity layout. Hitting fairways and making putts are more essential than bombing drives and scrambling with short irons. Hopefully, that will quiet those who rail that the distance apocalypse is upon us.

Given that backdrop, the winner this week could be Luke Donald. He's 16th in fairways hit, 14th in greens in regulation, 7th in all-around ranking and 5th in scoring average. His only negative is a 92nd in putts per round. A good week with the flatstick gives Donald an excellent chance.

However, a win will not be his first major title -- no matter how the Tour and NBC spin it.