Players Championship: 'Fifth major' could count in Ryder Cup points race

The Players Championship - golf's unofficial fifth major - could in future could become part of the race for places in Europe's Ryder Cup team.

The Masters, US Open and US PGA have already been joined by the three world championships as part of the qualifying process.

And there is a growing body of opinion that the Players Championship, which regularly parades one of the strongest fields of the year, should be added too.

Colin Montgomerie is among those who feel it is time. With prize money of £4.3million the Sawgrass tournament is the richest of the whole season and if it was included it would help the likes of Jesper Parnevik, Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal, now members of the US Tour.

Their European appearances are limited and the fear is that if they fail to shine in the majors and world championships they will need wild cards to make the Ryder Cup - and there are only two available at present.

Ken Schofield, executive director of the European tour, stated: "I think it should be addressed in the light of how the tournament committee will review the selection of future teams.

"If we continue down the road of adding the majors and World Golf Championships, then surely the Players Championship will come into the fold.

"It is particularly apposite now because the top 50 in the world ranking gain automatic entry."

Fifteen Europeans were in this week's field and eight of them survived the halfway cut.