# Golf or tennis tournament "classic"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 3, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-or-tennis-tournament-classic/724161 "2015-07-03T20:04:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-or-tennis-tournament-classic/724161/1 "2015-07-03T20:04:47Z")
What’s the meaning/significance/origin of using the word "classic,"in the names of tournaments? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-or-tennis-tournament-classic/724161/2 "2015-07-03T20:14:37Z")
They’re sponsored by companies that style themselves “Ltd.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-or-tennis-tournament-classic/724161/3 "2015-07-03T20:21:03Z")
Sorry. Don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-or-tennis-tournament-classic/724161/4 "2015-07-04T13:38:07Z")
Maybe this should be in GQ. Surely someone knows the reason for this naming convention? I put it in IMHO because I thought it would be an opinion thing. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-or-tennis-tournament-classic/724161/5 "2015-07-04T14:26:23Z")
I don’t think it has any meaning and I am not sure it ever did; it’s just a glam word they throw in to show it’s a high-class event, not some sweaty jockfest. Which is much the same position of “Ltd.” or “Limited” outside of those countries where that’s a valid company descriptor. In the US, it’s just snootiness. “Classic” may have roots in the sense of “conforming to the [old school] rule book” and excluding competition forms from later and lesser sources. But I will bet it’s nearly meaningless except in my first guess sense of “bring your own wine glass.” ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-or-tennis-tournament-classic/724161/6 "2015-07-04T14:26:47Z")
I follow golf closely and I’m not sure there is a meaning. They aren’t opens where amateurs are invited, and they aren’t invitationals where the field is hand-picked. I think it’s just a name as far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-or-tennis-tournament-classic/724161/7 "2015-07-04T17:14:51Z")
Meaningless, eh? Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-or-tennis-tournament-classic/724161/8 "2015-07-04T17:32:28Z")
Well, meaningless is a subjective term. Calling a tournament a classic defines it in a certain way, just as “annual” or “traditional” or “summer” or “exclusive” or even “championship” does, without necessarily meaning very much in and of that term. Classic == “classy and kinda upscale, y’know?” is how I interpret it. ---
**Author:** ![dofe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-or-tennis-tournament-classic/724161/9 "2015-07-04T17:34:36Z")
In other words, similar to the MLB’s use of the word “world” in “world series.” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-or-tennis-tournament-classic/724161/10 "2015-07-04T18:56:51Z")
> [@dofe](#): > > In other words, similar to the MLB’s use of the word “world” in “world series.” 😛 I thought that was because a newspaper called ‘the World’ was an early sponsor. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golf-or-tennis-tournament-classic/724161/11 "2015-07-04T18:59:36Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I thought that was because a newspaper called ‘the World’ was an early sponsor. Urban legend, promulgated by a historical writer I admire greatly. World meant world, as absurd as its application here is.