British Open playoff format, explained: Extra holes rules for 2024 Open Championship and how tiebreaker works in golf

Dan Treacy

British Open playoff format, explained: Extra holes rules for 2024 Open Championship and how tiebreaker works in golf image

Anyone who paid attention to the first round of the Open Championship could have guessed that a playoff might be in play on Sunday. Tough conditions created a tight leaderboard, and it didn't break on Friday or Saturday as nearly a dozen players entered the final round within striking distance.

Despite plenty of great finishes in recent years, only one major has required a playoff since the start of 2018. Justin Thomas prevailed over Will Zalatoris in a playoff at the 2022 PGA Championship, earning his second career win in the event.

A playoff looked like it might have been in store at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open this year, and both would have included Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau didn't get the opportunity in May, when Xander Schauffele held him off, but it was DeChambeau who got the better of Rory McIlroy in an intense U.S. Open finish in June.

Is a playoff on the table at Royal Troon? Here's what you need to know about how the format would work.

LIVE: Follow updates from the British Open final round

British Open playoff format 2024

The Open Championship boasts a four-hole aggregate playoff format, with golfers playing No. 1, No. 2, No. 17, and No. 18 for the chance to win a major.

Because this is an aggregate playoff, all four holes must be played. The player with the best score after four holes will win. If players are still tied after four holes, they will play a sudden-death playoff at the No. 18 hole.

Here's a look at how those four holes break down:

HoleParDistance
14366 yards
24389 yards
173242 yards
184458 yards

How extra holes work in golf

Depending on the tournament, there are typically two different types of playoff formats when 72 holes can't determine a winner,

— Aggregate: Aggregate playoff formats, which require golfers to play multiple holes (depending on the event), are generally less common but dominate major championships. The only major tournament without an aggregate playoff format is the Masters, where players compete in a sudden-death format involving the No. 18 hole and No. 10 if necessary.

— Sudden death: Some PGA Tour events feature a sudden death format in which the first player to win a hole wins the tournament. The holes are decided depending on the tournament.

MORE: What to know about British Open contender Thriston Lawrence

British Open playoff history

The British Open has gone to a playoff 20 times in the tournament's long history. The British Open went to a playoff seven times in 15 years from 1995-2009, but only once (2015) has a playoff been required since Stewart Cink's win in 2009.

Here's a look at every British Open to reach a playoff:

YearWinnerRunner(s) up
1883Willie FernieBob Ferguson
1889Willie Park Jr.Andrew Kirkaldy
1896Harry VardonJ.H. Taylor
1911Harry VardonArnaud Massy
1921Jock HutchisonRoger Wethered
1933Denny ShuteCraig Wood
1949Bobby LockeHarry Bradshaw
1958Peter ThomsonDave Thomas
1963Bob CharlesPhil Rodgers
1970Jack NicklausDoug Sanders
1975Tom WatsonJack Newton
1989Mark CalcavecchiaGreg Norman, Wayne Grady
1995John DalyCostantino Rocca
1998Mark O'MearaBrian Watts
1999Paul LawrieJean van de Velde, Justin Leonard
2002Ernie ElsThomas Levet, Stuart Appleby, Steve Elkington
2004Todd HamiltonErnie Els
2007Padraig HarringtonSergio Garcia
2009Stewart CinkTom Watson
2015Zach JohnsonLouis Oosthuizen, Marc Leishman

Dan Treacy

Dan Treacy Photo

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.