It’s sudden death! How some of the best Masters playoffs went down…
It isn’t often the Masters is decided by a playoff, but fireworks tend to fly when players finish tied at Augusta…
It might be the youngest of the four major championships but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any memorable Masters playoffs throughout the years.
In total, there have been 17 playoffs at the Masters since the tournament started in 1934.
11 of these have been sudden deaths with the most recent being in 2017. Five have been decided over 18 holes and just one in 1935 was decided over 36 holes.
The playoff format for the Masters has changed over the years with the first playoff in 1935 being played over 36 holes, this changed for the next five playoffs to an 18-hole playoff on Monday.
The format changed again in 1970 to sudden-death playoffs, where players in the playoff started on the 10th and played the back nine until there was a winner.
The most recent change to the format was made in 2003, the first playoff hole will be the 18th then the 10th hole etc.
Let’s have a look at some of the most memorable Masters playoff results from Augusta National.
Masters playoff history
1935 Gene Sarazen vs Craig Wood
The 1935 Masters is not remembered for the playoff but for the ‘shot heard around the world’ when Sarazen made an albatross on the par-5 15th hole which enabled him to get into the playoff in the first place.
The 36-hole playoff was the first and only 36-hole playoff in the history of the Masters.
The playoff scheduled for the Monday saw Sarazen take a four-shot lead into the afternoon second round. Sarazen won the playoff comfortably by five shots and in doing this, he became the first golfer to claim the modern grand slam (US Open, The Open, PGA, Masters).
2005 Tiger Woods vs Chris DiMarco
Tiger Woods produced one of the most, if not the most, memorable shots in the 2005 Masters, on the 16th hole of the final round when he chipped in from a very difficult lie just off the green.
However, Woods bogeyed the last two holes to allow DiMarco back in and tie his score to force a playoff. The playoff lasted only one hole, the 18th hole.
DiMarco had forgotten the rules for the playoff had changed from when it used to start at the 10th hole. He had almost reached the 10th tee when he was told that the playoff started on the 18th. Woods won with a birdie at the compared to DiMarco’s par 4.
2012 Bubba Watson vs Louis Oosthuizen
American Bubba Watson won his first green jacket against South African Louis Oosthuizen after producing the shot of the tournament. Earlier in the day on the second hole of the final round, the South African had made the first albatross in Masters history on that hole.
Both players had chances to win in regulation play having hit the final green in regulation, but both putts just missed meaning a playoff was needed. Having both again hit the 18th green in regulation, Oosthuizen went first for birdie and narrowly missed, Watson slightly closer again missed his putt, forcing a second playoff hole.
The 10th was next and both hit poor drives down the right, Oosthuizen laid up short of the green. Watson hit a 90-degree hook out of the trees with a gap wedge from 140 yards to within 10 feet of the flag. Oosthuizen failed to get up and down for par, meaning Watson could 2-two-putt for victory which he did.
2017 Sergio Garcia vs Justin Rose
Sergio Garcia won his first major on the 74th attempt when he won the 2017 Masters in a sudden-death playoff against Justin Rose.
Both players had chances to win their first green jacket outright on the 72nd hole, but both Rose’s seven-foot birdie putt and Garcia’s five-foot birdie putt missed forcing both players to go into extra holes.
In the playoff, which is back up the 18th hole, Rose found the trees on the right with his tee shot, which meant a chip out, but only just passed Garcia’s drive which had found the fairway.
Garcia put his approach shot to 12ft, and Rose put his third to 14ft. Rose’s par putt slipped by, leaving Garcia two putts to win.
He needed just one and birdied the hole to win his first green jacket and his major championship.
Now read: Is the Masters Par 3 contest sport’s deadliest curse?
What was your favourite Masters playoff? Tell us on X!
Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
