Playoff (golf) - 18-hole Playoff

18-hole Playoff

The 18-hole playoff is the oldest playoff format. The tied players return the next day to play another round of 18 holes, and the player with the lowest score is declared the winner. Should there still be a tie after the 18 holes, then sudden death is normally played.

The men's U.S. Open is the only major tournament that still uses this method of breaking a tie. However, all the men's major championships used it at one time; The Open Championship (British Open) until 1989, the PGA Championship until 1977, and the Masters Tournament until 1979. Indeed, the first playoff in The Masters in 1935 was contested over 36 holes, when Gene Sarazen overcame Craig Wood. The U.S. Women's Open also used this format until 2007.