Purpose-Built Holes, Abandon The Sudden-Death Format Or Just Move The Tees Around... What Can We Do To Make Tour Play-offs More Interesting?

For those who watched the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday, you may well have felt like the conclusion wasn't quite as satisfying as one would hope.

Following 72 holes of excellent and dramatic golf at Yas Links, Aaron Rai and Tommy Fleetwood could not be separated. Consequently, they headed back down 18 after a lengthy break in order to duke it out for the big prize on the opening week of the DP World Tour Play-offs.

However, despite the prestige of event and the beauty of the course, the actual play-off was arguably a bit underwhelming.

Rai and Fleetwood proceeded to hit the exact same drives and lay-ups into collection areas that they'd done in regulation before once again going through what was effectively the second putt-off inside an hour.

Rai won out thanks to his slightly more accurate approach from 80 yards, giving him an eight-foot birdie look to claim the biggest win of his career.

But for the majority of the overtime action, the broadcast team and - dare I say - a lot of fans at home were pointing out that there was hardly any point in the first two shots on the par 5 hole as neither player could reach the green and their alternative options were extremely limited.

On commentary, the idea of moving the tee up was floated in order to increase the chances of an outside eagle shot.

But, alas, tournament organizers stuck with what they knew and onlookers were left waiting to see whose short game was sharpest.

By the way, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship did a fantastic job otherwise and is certainly far from alone in this issue. There have been a handful of other turgid play-off battles all around the world this year in among a few thrillers (see Grace Kim v Jeeno Thitikul in the Evian Championship).

The question is, what can be done to ensure there are more exciting play-offs than dull ones? Once the Golf Monthly team reconvened on Monday, three of our tour experts shared their thoughts. If you have an idea, please let us know in the comments box below this article.

Nick Bonfield

It's a tricky one, because there are often light issues at the end of the day, spectators are generally stationed around the 18th green and competitive integrity should always be more important than forced drama.

However, I think we can all agree the play-off at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship didn't work as well as it could have. The obvious answer to the main question is make sure there's something on the line on every shot.

At Yas Links, the par-5 18th wasn't reachable in two, the fairway was extremely wide and lay-up shots all funnelled into the same area. With hindsight, the tee should have been moved up.

If the hole was reachable in two, it would have put more pressure on the drive and more jeopardy on the second, because one bad shot could have cost you the tournament.

As a rule of thumb, I think play-off holes should be one of the following: a reachable par 5, a par 3 or a drivable par 4. If the 18th hole doesn't fall into one of those categories, tournament organisers should have contingency tees in place.

I do like three-hole play-offs, but the course has to be suited to it. TPC Sawgrass works perfectly as the final three holes are a reachable par 5, perilous par 3 and daunting par 4, but the risk over three holes is that someone moves well clear and there isn't any real drama, as happened at this year's Players.

I think we should stick to one hole, but give real though to optimising said hole for a play-off.

Matt Cradock

There are many arguments for and against the play-off dilemma we saw in Abu Dhabi, but one point I will make is that had Rory McIlroy or Nicolai Hojgaard been in the play-off, would they have been pleased to see the tees being moved forward to accommodate either Fleetwood or Rai, given that both McIlroy and Hojgaard hit the green in two during regulation play?

I don't think you can change the course set-up to benefit both players in a play-off. If one player wants to take the risk, and go for the green in two, then let them.

In golf, players hit the ball various distances, why should it be that the design is changed completely so that a shorter hitter benefits if they can't go for the green on a long par 5?

Then comes the hassle of logistics. Usually, the play-off hole is the 18th because everything is already in place, such as grandstands etc. That means you can't really jump to a different hole as it will be a poor viewing experience for spectators and cameras broadcasting the event.

You could argue that there should be a purpose-built play-off hole at all courses that stage professional events - a hole that is either risk and reward or provides difficulty in the fact that a par is a good score.

However, I don't see a way in which you can do this without compromising the validity of the competition. If a player loses a play-off on a hole that hasn't featured in tournament play, you feel that they could be well within their rights to complain.

If we are to adapt the play-off hole to make it a more entertaining spectacle, whether it be contingency tees or a change of pin position, this would have to be agreed by the players, or voted on at the start of the week.

If, in the play-off, one player has said yes to changes being made and one hasn't then the play-off hole should be kept as it is. If both say changes can be made, then tournament organizers have the right to enforce it.

Jonny Leighfield

In an ideal world, I'd want most play-off holes to either be driveable par 4s or two-shot par 5s with plenty of danger around - i.e. the 18th at TPC Toronto or the 18th at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, for example.

The trouble is, a lot of 18th holes at golf courses aren't particularly conducive to amazing play-off drama - and therein lies the problem. It's not really their fault exactly. A lot were built to offer a satisfying conclusion to 18 holes of golf rather than designers considering how the finale might fare in a shoot-out.

Logistically, sudden-death play-offs are always going to take place on the final hole of a golf course, and it makes sense. The hospitality stands are there, the big advertising boards are there, it often has the most room for fans around the outside. Fine.

So if you can't move the hole or create a fresh standalone version, can you adapt to what you've got? Is it possible to move the tees up 30 yards or to stick a fresh tee box out to the side of a ho-hum par 4 so that it becomes a challenging par 3?

The 18th hole at Yas Links, for all intents and purposes, might as well be a 100-yard par 3. Would that be the worst thing? Imagine a hole-in-one winning a play-off!

As I've said previously, there are plenty of excellent stages for a play-off in the world of tour golf, but I would just ask that tournament organizers at events where the 18th hole doesn't offer all that much to be a little more brave when it comes to setting up the finale. It's what fans, stakeholders and players deserve.