2024 PGA playoff format: What happens if two or more playes are tied after 72 holes?

From world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler’s surprising arrest to a fatal accident that delayed the start of second-round play, it’s been an eventful time at the 2024 PGA Championship and that’s before we even touch on the play itself which has seen Xander Schauffele and Colin Morikawa enter Sunday’s final round with a shared lead.

What is the PGA Championship?

An annual Golf comPetition held in the middle of May - was held in mid-August until 2019 - the PGA Championship was established in 1916 and stands as one of the four major championships played every year. The others include the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the Open Championship (British Open). It’s worth noting, however, that the Championship has some particular aspects. Firstly, the champion of the comPetition earns automatic qualification for the three tournaments mentioned above and for the following five years. Said champion is also exempt from qualifying for the PGA Championship for life.

What’s the PGA Championship format and what happens if there is a tie?

Sunday’s final round at Valhalla will start off with a crowded leaderboard. Indeed, there are currently fifteen players who are within five strokes of Xander Schauffele and Colin Morikawa’s 15-under-par lead. That’s to say that there is the real possibility of tied scores when the curtain comes down. Yet, let’s deal with the format first and how it all works.

Unlike your typical 156-player PGA Tour event which sees the top 65 and ties after 36 holes advance to play the third and fourth rounds, the PGA Championship is somewhat different. For perspective, the Masters field (89 players this year) is cut to the top 50 and ties after 36 holes, while the U.S. Open field is cut to the top 60 and ties after 36 holes. On the other hand, the Open Championship uses the same format as the PGA Championship, which is to say there is a cut to the top 70 and ties after 36 holes.

With that, we come to the question of ties. To be clear, should there be a tie for first place after 72 holes at this year’s PGA Championship, there will be a three-hole aggregate score playoff on holes Nos. 13, 17, and 18 at Valhalla Golf Club. If there is still a tie at that point, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff (sudden death) on Nos. 18, 13, 17, and 18 repeated until we arrive at a winner.