Rory McIlroy declined to back Brandel Chamblee and Lee Trevino in their pleas to make the Players Championship the fifth major in men's golf. The tournament - which the Northern Irishman has won twice and is currently the reigning champion of - returns next month at the TPC Sawgrass and is regularly nicknamed 'the fifth major'.

Ahead of the historic event, organisers have undertaken a promotional campaign with the tagline for this year's edition reading 'March is going to be major'. With the women's game boasting five majors, the current Masters champion admitted that the men's game does not require expansion, even if it could bolster his own major tally.

Speaking before the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McIlroy said: "Look, I'd love to have seven majors instead of five, that sounds great," as he referenced his two prior Players Championship wins alongside his five major titles. "I think the Players is one of the best golf tournaments in the world. I don't think anyone disputes that or argues that.

"I think from a player perspective it's amazing. I think from an on-site fan experience it's amazing. It's an amazing golf course, location, venue." A self-proclaimed historian of golf, McIlroy warned against adding a fifth major by citing how elevating The Amundi Evian Championship in 2013 to major status in the women's game has impacted them.

He added: "But I'm a traditionalist, I'm a historian of the game. We have four major championships. If you want to see what five major championships looks like, look at the women's game. I don't know how well that's went for them."

His take on the situation differs greatly from Trevino as the 85-year-old Hall of Famer took to the Golf Channel's "Live From" show to insist that the Players Championship should become a major. When asked if the event should be promoted, Trevino answered: "Yes, and there's no question in my mind about it. The field, the golf course, 100,000 people, why not? I mean, it's unbelievable. Unbelievable."

In 2023, Chamblee - a former golf player and commentator, referenced LIV Golf's poaching of numerous stars from the PGA Tour as a reason for the tournament becoming golf's fifth major. He made his case by saying: "LIV has managed to poach some compelling players away from the PGA Tour, and it's made the majors more compelling.

"There should be more sting in defecting away from the PGA Tour. I can't think of a better way to do that than make the Players Championship a major. It should have been a major eons ago, and I believe it is. But it should have that designation."