2.10.26 | Fried Egg Golf's Brendan Porath & Kevin Van Valkenburg | Is THE PLAYERS a Major?

On this Tuesday edition of 5 Clubs, Gary Williams reacts to the PGA TOUR’s latest push positioning THE PLAYERS Championship as a Major, including Brandel Chamblee’s headline-making stance that THE PLAYERS “stands alone” and is the best Major. Gary breaks down why the “Fifth Major” conversation keeps resurfacing, why Major history is more murky than people realize, and why retroactively awarding Major status would open an impossible can of worms.

Brendan Porath of Fried Egg Golf joins from Chicago to talk about Chris Gotterup’s rise and what makes his game feel sustainable. Brendan explains why Gotterup’s wins have come on demanding stages, why Scottie Scheffler’s week to week persistence is so compelling, and how the PGA TOUR’s Signature Event pathways like the Next 10 and Swing 5 help shape fields. They also debate sponsor exemptions, field size, and what would make the system feel more merit based.

Also from Fried Egg Golf, Kevin Van Valkenburg joins next to continue THE PLAYERS Championship Major discussion and how the PGA TOUR is going on offense with its messaging. Kevin digs into how “Major” status has shifted historically, why the TOUR wants more ownership of golf’s biggest stages, and what a defining 2026 accomplishment could look like for Rory McIlroy. He also shares a thoughtful angle on Scottie Scheffler’s balance and mentality, and what Tiger Woods’ future impact could be as the PGA TOUR evolves.

Gary closes the show with a quick historical "what if" involving Augusta National and the USGA, and why The PLAYERS conversation will only get louder as THE PLAYERS week approaches.

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0:00 Opening Thoughts

13:54 Brendon Porath

33:07 Kevin Van Valkenburg

43:20 Final Thoughts