Throw out 153 years of championship history and ask yourself this question: If golf was starting from scratch and there could be only four majors, would three of them really be in America?

That's why it makes perfect sense for the PGA of America to explore the possibility of occasionally taking the PGA Championship overseas. The key words are ''explore'' and ''occasionally.''

''I would say we're more than halfway through a serious analysis,'' PGA chief executive Pete Bevacqua said over the weekend. ''What's important is we boil down our missions to two pillars – serve our members and grow the game,'' Bevacqua said. ''The ultimate test will be can we check both boxes? Does it make sense to occasionally play the PGA Championship overseas? Would growing the brand globally help our members? Would it grow the game? Part two is easy.''

The assumption would be to look at Asia, though the HSBC Champions already bills itself as ''Asia's major'' and likely will be even further established when or if the PGA of America ever decides to start accumulating stamps in its passport.

The most obvious hindrance is television, which was driven home by a tweet from Bob Estes to Dustin Johnson. ''Just woke up to find out that you won.'' The tweet was sent Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Texas time, about five hours after Johnson completed his three-shot win in the HSBC Champions. Estes missed an extraordinary display of golf – Johnson, Ian Poulter and McDowell each closed with a 66 from the final group.

Then again, if the PGA Championship were to leave America on occasion, that's at least a decade out. It wasn't long ago when the Masters showed only three hours of the final round. Or when golf in America was only televised on the weekend. How will sports even be broadcast a decade from now?

Bevacqua has only to look at other sports to identify a trend.

The NBA is playing preseason games in China. The NFL is making London a regular part of its schedule (yes, that team from Jacksonville really is part of the NFL). The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks will open the 2014 baseball season in Australia.

''The world is getting smaller,'' PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said. ''Things are coming together. It's more a question of the best players in the world are going to play, and it's going to be a big deal wherever it goes. What's best for that tournament long-term? And what's good for golf globally given the options? I don't think there's any reason not to think of those things.''

It's a new world of golf. It's a big world, yet one that is shrinking.

For years, the PGA Championship has been looked upon as the ''other'' major because it lacks a clear identity the other three enjoy. The Masters and Augusta National. The Open Championship and links golf. The U.S. Open historically as the toughest test in golf.

The PGA Championship has a chance to identify itself as the only international major. It's worth exploring, because it's clear that's where golf is going.

Consensus on twitter suggests that should this decision be taken today, the three courses that should be considered are (in no particular order), Royal Melbourne (Australia), Hirono Golf Club (Japan) and...wait for it…Fancourt!