April 9-12 2009
There used to be an 18 hole play off, but now it is a sudden death play off, usually starting at the 18th.
Nick Faldo
A tie at the Masters is decided by a sudden death playoff. The players go to the 18th hole and play the hole. If they are still tied after playing that hole, they go to the tenth hole and play it. They continue to do this until one finally wins.
The rules call for a Sudden Death Playoff. The tied golfers play the 18th hole and if they are still tied after playing the 18th, they play the 10th hole. If they are still tied after playing the 10th hole, they go back to the 18th and play it. They continue to do that until someone wins.
When two or more people end up tied for the lead in a professional golf tournament, there is what as known as a playoff. The playoff is usually a sudden death one hole playoff, with the winner being the person who has the lowest score on that particular hole, if the scores are tied the process continues until the tie is broken. In the men's major championships there are different ways of breaking ties. In The Masters it is a sudden death playoff, in The US Open it is an 18 hole Monday playoff, in The Open it is a four hole playoff and the USPGA Championship is a 3 hole playoff. In Amateur golf, say at your club at the weekend, ties are usually broken with the best nett score on the back 9, then best back 6,3,2 or 1 depending on how close it is.
Ed Sneed
The simplest form of a play off is a sudden death playoff, whoever has the highest score on a hole is eliminated, if the scores are tied the playoff continues until someone is eliminated. The tournament committee is responsible for which hole they choose, it can be the easiest hole or it can be the hardest hole, but usually it is the 18th. In the US Open it is an 18 hole playoff, in the Open it is a 4 hole sudden death playoff.
Nick Faldo, he and Raymond Floyd finished on 10 under, and Faldo won on the second sudden death playoff hole.
sudden death on hole 18 then 10 if required....repeated until winner
Ian Woosnam won the Masters on the 14th April 1991.
Held at Oakmont, there was an 18 hole playoff between Ernie Els, Colin Montgomery and Loren Roberts. Els and Roberts shot 74 in the playoff, so Montgomerie with a 78 was eliminated. Then Els defeated Roberts on the 2nd sudden death playoff hole.
Greg norman