What is the US Women’s Open playoff format?

If two or more players are tied after 72 holes, they will need to play extra holes to decide a winner. So, what is the US Women’s Open playoff format?

A history of the US Women’s Open playoff format

Originally, any players involved in the playoff would compete over 18 holes.

After the tournament changed to a stroke-play format for the 1947 event, the playoff was set for 18 holes on the Monday after the event.

2006 was the last time that the 18-hole playoff format was used, when Annika Sorenstam won the tournament for the third time. She got the better of Pat Hurst in the playoff at the Newport Country Club.

The year after, the playoff format was changed into a three-hole aggregate playoff. That was used twice in the 2010s, with the format then being modified once more in 2018.

ALSO: Everything you need to know about the US Women’s Open

ALSO: A look into the history of the US Women’s Open

ALSO: Winners of the US Women’s Open

What is the current playoff format for US Women’s Open?

Now, the playoff format for the US Women’s Open is a two-hole aggregate playoff followed by sudden death holes if required.

This takes place as soon as the final players finish their fourth round.

The player with the lowest score after the two holes is the winner. If the players still can’t be separated then they will enter a sudden-death playoff until a winner can be determined.

How many US Women’s Open have gone to a playoff?

To date, the winner of the Harton S. Semple Trophy has been decided in extra holes on 14 occasions:

1953: Betsy Rawls defeated Jackie Pung
1956: Kathy Cornelius defeated Barbara McIntire
1964: Mickey Wright defeated Ruth Jessen
1976: JoAnne Carner defeated Sandra Palmer
1986: Jane Geddes defeated Sally Little
1987: Laura Davies defeated Ayako Okamoto and JoAnne Carner
1992: Patty Sheehan defeated Juli Inkster
1998: Se Ri Pak defeated Jenny Chuasiriporn
2003: Hilary Lunke defeated Angela Stanford and Kelly Robbins
2006: Annika Sorenstam defeated Pat Hurst
2011: So-Yeon Ryu defeated Seo Kyung Hee
2016: Brittany Lang defeated Anna Nordqvist
2018: Ariya Jutanugarn defeated Hyo-Joo Kim
2021: Yuka Saso defeated Nasa Hataoka

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