Every major has its own playoff format. The Masters Tournament keeps it simple with sudden death.
If two or more players are tied after 72 holes at Augusta National, they’ll battle until someone scores lower on a hole. The playoff starts on the par-4 18th, then moves to the par-4 10th if needed, repeating this loop until someone emerges victorious.
This approach differs from the other majors. The U.S. Open uses a two-hole aggregate playoff, the PGA Championship goes with three holes, and The Open stretches it to four.
The 2025 Masters needed extra holes, with the winner clinching victory with a birdie on the first playoff hole. Justin Rose found himself on the wrong end of Masters playoffs twice – this time and back in 2017 when Sergio Garcia also birdied the 73rd hole to defeat him.
