Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Todd Kelly

What is the format for the U.S. Open playoff? It’s not a full 18 holes anymore

The last time there was a playoff at the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods outlasted Rocco Mediate in a marathon Monday finish in 2008 at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

The U.S. Golf Association’s playoff format back then called for a full 18 holes on the day after the final round, and Woods and Mediate needed an extra 19th hole to decide things.

But that 18-hole playoff format was scrapped in 2018, when the USGA switched to a two-hole aggregate format, followed by sudden death, if needed. The playoff would be set to start shortly after regulation concludes.

If there’s a playoff in 2024, the two-hole aggregate will be played on No. 1 and then No. 18. The sudden death would then rotate between Nos. 1 and 18 until there’s a winner.

There have been 33 playoffs in the history of the U.S. Open. Eight times there were three players who made a playoff. The last three-way playoff was in 1994 and was won by Ernie Els, who held off Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie at Oakmont.

U.S. OPENLeaderboard | Hole-by-hole | How to watch

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.