U.S. Open playoff format: Here’s how a U.S. Open playoff works
There has not been a playoff in the U.S. Open since 2008.
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Things are getting tight as the leaders come down the stretch at Winged Foot. So close that you might be wondering what a playoff in the U.S. Open looks like. The event hasn’t been decided by a playoff since 2008, and plenty has changed about the format since then.
For most of the history of the event, the playoff was not sudden death or multiple hole aggregate score, but rather an entire 18-hole round played the following day. In fact, for a few years in the late 1920s, they used a 36-hole playoff to decide the winner. Talk about grueling.
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However, in 2018 the USGA finally amended its playoff procedures in an effort to crown a champion on Sunday night, opting for a two-hole aggregate playoff instead.
“We know how important it is to everyone in the golf world to see play conclude on the Sunday of a major championship, and to award the trophy to the champion,” said USGA CEO/Executive Director Mike Davis. “After receiving input from a variety of constituents, including players, fans, volunteers, officials and our broadcast partners, it clearly came across as something that everyone valued, and would benefit from.”
If there is a tie at the end of 72 holes, players will play their two-hole playoff on holes 10 and 18. If a tie remains after those two holes, sudden death will be employed on the 10th, 11th and 18th holes until a winner is determined.
This format has yet to be used in the U.S. Open since the change, but the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open did go to a playoff with Ariya Jutanugarn defeating Hyo Joo Kim.
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