LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 17: Rickie Fowler of the United States lines up a putt on the second green during the third round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 17, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The US Open playoff format is different from the other golf major championships, so let’s take a look at the rules if players are tied after 72 holes.
If there’s one thing that could make the 2023 US Open even more thrilling, it would be a playoff. With the way players have attacked and been attacked back by Los Angeles Country Club throughout the week, it would only be fitting if guys like Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark, Harris English or any of the other contenders ended up tied after 72 holes.
One thing that golf fans know, however, is that every playoff format in major championships is different. So with a tight leaderboard at the top and conditions getting tougher by the minute, fans were wondering about the US Open playoff format and what the rules are for the tiebreaker if there is no champion after the first four rounds.
No, it won’t be the old 18-hole US Open playoff format that we’ve seen before. So let’s take a look at the new playoff rules and how things will work if, after 72 holes, the USGA is still trying to crown its champion this year at LACC.
US Open playoff format: Rules for tiebreaker after 72 holes
The US Open playoff format is a two-hole aggregate playoff. The players tied after 72 holes will play the No. 1 hole at LACC and then the No. 18 hole, a Par-5 and Par-4, respectively, with the best score between the golfers over those two holes going on to win. If they are still tied after the two-hole playoff, they will then play the same holes in a sudden-death format with the first player to record a better score winning the tournament.
This format differs from the other four majors as all have their own separate rules. The PGA Championship and Open Championship both feature aggregate playoffs, three and four holes, respectively. The Masters, meanwhile, is and immediate sudden-death playoff.
Having said that, the US Open playoff format used to be particularly unique (and demanding) as they had an 18-hole playoff, basically an extra round, to determine the winner. Those rules, however, were abandoned for the current format back in 2018.
When was the last US Open playoff? History of tiebreakers
Speaking of that old US Open playoff format, we haven’t actually seen the new one in effect. The last playoff at the championship was the famous battle between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate back in 2008 at Torrey Pines. Woods forced the playoff on the 72nd hole with a birdie, but then both men shot a 71 in the 18-hole playoff. Tiger then parred the 19th playoff hole while Mediate bogeyed to win.
Prior to the Woods-Mediate showdown, the last playoff was in 2001 between Retief Goosen and Mark Brooks. Meanwhile, there were three US Open playoff ventures in a four year span with Curtis Strange (1988 over Nick Faldo), Hale Irwin (1990 over Mike Donald), and Payne Stewart (1991 over Scott Simpson) all emerging victorious from the tiebreaker.
All told, there have been 33 playoffs in the 122 years of US Open history.
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