PGA Championship playoff rules, explained: How extra holes tiebreaker works in golf majors

The PGA Championship looks like it’s going to come down to the wire.

Shane Lowry turned in a historic performance on Saturday, matching the major record for lowest score
in a round by shooting 62 in the third round. He might have had the best round, but he’s not alone in having a standout performance overall.

Heading into the final day of the 2024 PGA Championship at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., there are 15 golfers that are 10 under or better. The lead is shared by Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa at 15 under. Sahith Theegala is just behind them at 14 under.

Then there’s Lowry, Viktor Hovland and Bryson DeChambeau all tied for fourth at 13 under. And that’s to say nothing of golfers like Rory McIlroy (8 under), Jordan Spieth (8 under) and Scottie Scheffler (7 under) all looming in the background.

MORE: Tee times for 2024 PGA Championship Round 4

Should the 2024 PGA Championship come down to the wire, fans might be treated to some bonus golf in the form of a playoff. It has happened several times before, including just two years ago.

Here’s what you need to know about the tiebreaking format for the PGA Championship.

PGA Championship tiebreaker rulesEach major has a different tiebreaking format. The PGA Championship’s is a three-hole playoff.

Unlike other tournaments that start in sudden death right away, it takes longer to reach that stage in the PGA Championship. Golfers tied at the end of 72 holes start by playing three holes, and if one has a lower aggregate score by the end of it, they are declared the winner.

If there is still a tie, then the golfers move to sudden death until a golfer has the edge.

The longest a PGA Championship playoff has lasted in the stroke play era was 18 holes in 1961 and 1967, though back then golfers would play a full 18 holes to determine the winner. The playoff didn’t change to sudden death until 1972, then in 2000, the PGA Championship adopted the three-hole minimum with sudden death at the end.

PGA Championship playoffsThere have been 14 playoffs in the history of the PGA Championships in the stroke era.

Here’s a look at how each have unfolded:

YearWinnerHoles1961Jerry Barber over Don January181967Don January over Don Massengale181972Lanny Wadkins over Gene Littler31978John Mahaffey over Jerry Pate and Tom Watson21979David Graham over Ben Crenshaw31987Larry Nelson over Lanny Wadkins11993Paul Azinger over Greg Norman21995Steve Elkington over Colin Montgomerie11996Mark Brooks over Kenny Perry12000Tiger Woods over Bob May32004Vijay Singh over Chris DiMarco and Justin Leonard32010Martin Kaymer over Bubba Watson32011Keegan Bradley over Jason Dufner32022Justin Thomas over Will Zalatoris3

Author(s)

Edward Sutelan is a content producer at The Sporting News.