What Is The Masters Playoff Format?

The first men's Major of the year, The Masters, is quite unlike any other tournament.

There are many traditions and quirks that set the tournament apart from the other three, from the boiler suits worn by the caddies to referring to fans as patrons. Another thing that marks it as unique from the other Majors is its playoff format. So, what happens if there is a tie after 72 holes?

The Masters Playoff Format

The Masters is the only one of the four men's Majors with a sudden-death playoff format.

That means the first player to win one of the extra holes on his own is the champion. There's a certain brutality to that system, because, unlike an aggregate playoff, which declares a winner based on the scores over a certain number of holes, there's no coming back if a player nudges ahead in the sudden-death format.

There is method in applying the format to The Masters, because the event's relatively early place in the calendar means the light fades that much sooner in Georgia than later in the season, with a sunset time of around 8pm local time.

The first playoff hole is the 18th, and, should that not determine a winner, players then move to the 10th. This sequence is repeated until someone emerges victorious.

The holes chosen for the playoff also make a lot of sense, because the 18th and 10th run parallel to each other, which means the drama can unfold in a relatively small area of the property, as well as in front of the largest number of patrons.

What Happened In The Last Masters Playoff?

Playoffs don't come around that often at The Masters, with only seven since the turn of the century and 18 in total.

After waiting since 2017, we were perhaps due another, and it arrived in 2025 when Rory McIlroy edged past against Justin Rose after one extra hole.

McIlroy had missed a putt minutes earlier that would have completed his career Grand Slam in regulation, but he made no mistake the second time round after his brilliant approach shot landed within four feet of the hole and Rose failed to convert his 20-foot birdie putt.

Who Else Won In A Playoff At The Masters?

The first playoff in the 21st century saw Mike Weir beat Len Mattiace on the first extra hole in 2003. Then, two years later, Tiger Woods needed a playoff to defeat Chris DiMarco. After Woods produced the iconic chip on the 16th that prompted Verne Lundquist's unforgettable "in your life" call, Woods bogeyed the final two holes to fall back into a tie.

In the playoff, Woods holed a 15-foot birdie putt to win his fourth Green Jacket and ninth Major title. For DiMarco, the sense of history repeating itself must have been all-consuming as it was his second Major defeat via a playoff in succession after he lost in extra holes to Vijay Singh at the previous year's PGA Championship.

In 2009, Angel Cabrera won in a playoff, beating Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell. The latter was the first to go after the first extra hole, before Cabrera's par putt on the second hole saw off Perry for the title.

Seven years later, Bubba Watson produced one of the best shots in Masters history during a playoff with Louis Oosthuizen. The pair parred the first extra hole, before Watson hit a wayward tee shot into the pine straw right of the 10th.

From 145 yards, Watson somehow hooked a 52-degree gap wedge 50 yards around the trees that finished 15 feet from the hole. Rickie Fowler famously said: "Bubba was in the wrong place at the right time." The rest is history.

The following year, Adam Scott secured his first Major title when he beat Cabrera on the second playoff hole. Scott became the first Australian to win the Masters, prompting compatriot Ian Baker-Finch to share an iconic line during the live coverage: "From Down Under to the top of the world."

In 2017, Sergio Garcia beat Justin Rose for his maiden Major. Any hopes of an epic tussle in the playoff were dashed when Rose hit his drive deep into the trees on the 18th on the first additional hole. He had to pitch out before making a bogey, while Garcia found the green in regulation and made a birdie to become the first Spaniard to win at Augusta since Jose Maria Olazabal 18 years earlier.