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 PGA Championship playoff format?
A history of the PGA Championship playoff format
Originally, any players involved in the playoff would compete over 18 holes.
In 1977, the PGA of America, wanting a Sunday finish, swapped it to a straight sudden-death playoff.
This was the first time that the sudden-death playoff was used in any of the four majors. Lanny Wadkins defeated Gene Littler on the third extra hole at Pebble Beach.
This format lasted until 1996, with Mark Brooks requiring just one extra hole to see off Kenny Perry. After that, the PGA of America decided to change again…
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What is the current playoff format for PGA Championship?
Now, players will compete in a three-hole aggregate playoff. This takes place as soon as the final players finish their fourth round.
The player with the lowest score after the three 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.
The most recent playoff at the PGA Championship was in 2022 at Southern Hills when Justin Thomas faced Will Zalatoris. Thomas got to 2-under after three holes and that was too much for Zalatoris. Thomas had completed the biggest comeback win in the tournament’s history, recovering from a seven-shot deficit in the final round.
How many PGA Championships have gone to a playoff?
To date, the Wanamaker Trophy has been decided in extra holes on 14 occasions. The first one took place in 1961 and in total, there have been two playoffs in which there were three participants. There were also three consecutive playoffs in 1977, 1978 and 1979.
| Year | Winner | Opponents |
| 1961 | Jerry Barber | Don January |
| 1967 | Don January | Don Massengale |
| 1977 | Lanny Wadkins | Gene Littler |
| 1978 | John Mahaffey | Jerry Pate and Tom Watson |
| 1979 | David Graham | Ben Crenshaw |
| 1987 | Larry Nelson | Lanny Wadkins |
| 1993 | Paul Azinger | Greg Norman |
| 1995 | Steve Elkington | Colin Montgomerie |
| 1996 | Mark Brooks | Kenny Perry |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods | Bob May |
| 2004 | Vijay Singh | Chris DiMarco and Justin Leonard |
| 2010 | Martin Kaymer | Bubba Watson |
| 2011 | Keegan Bradley | Jason Dufner |
| 2022 | Justin Thomas | Will Zalatoris |
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