AUGUSTA, Ga. — The wait for the Masters each year seems to take forever only for the four days of competition to go by faster than you can say “Fore please, now driving.” We don’t blame you then if you’re hoping all the exciting doesn’t end after 72 holes. Maybe, if you’re lucky, there will be a playoff that keeps the drama coming.
Playoffs in major championships come in various shapes and sizes. In fact, none of the four biggest events in men’s golf actually use the same playoff format. The U.S. Open has a two-hole aggregate system in place, the PGA Championship uses three holes and the Open Championship goes with four.
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But what is the playoff format at Augusta National? It’s the standard sudden-death format used on the PGA Tour, where the playoff participants keep playing extra holes until a winner is determined. For this year, playoff participants will return to the 18th hole. If still tied, they then play the 10th hole, followed by the 18th again. They will continue to alternate playing Nos. 10 and 18 until a champion is decided.
History of Masters playoffs
Like the other majors, the Masters used to settle ties after 72 holes by coming back the next day for an 18-hole affair. Actually, Augusta National first used a 36-hole playoff format, which was in place when Gene Sarazen defeating Craig Wood to win in 1935. But from then on, it was 18 holes to decide things, which happened on five occasions. Interestingly the five who won those extended playoffs are all legends of the game—Byron Nelson in 1942, Sam Snead in 1954, Arnold Palmer in 1962, Jack Nicklaus in 1966 and Billy Casper in 1970.
But in 1976, Masters co-founder Clifford Roberts announced that the tournament would instead implement a sudden-death playoff to determine a champion. The first time that new format went into effect was 1979, when Fuzzy Zoeller birdied the second playoff hole to beat Ed Sneed and Tom Watson.
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Since then, there have been 11 more playoffs, none lasting more than two extra holes. The last happened a year ago, when Rory McIlroy outlasted Justin Rose to claim his long-sought first major championship victory. (Rose has actually been the hard-luck runner-up in that last two Masters playoffs, falling to Sergio Garcia in 2017.)
If there’s every been a bit of controversy about the Masters playoffs, it’s the fact that a handful have been played under dark skies with sundown fast approaching. Masters officials usually have Sunday’s final round tee times set up a little earlier than Saturday’s third round to create a window of time should a playoff be necessary. But you might recall Nick Faldo’s triumph over Scott Hoch in 1989, Tiger Woods’ win over Chris DiMarco in 2005 and Adam Scott’s victory over Angel Cabrera in 2013 all couldn’t have lasted another hole as sunset hit.
Below is a listing of every playoff in Masters history. Will we add to this list in 2025? Stay tuned!
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Masters Playoffs
1935: Gene Sarazen (144) defeated Craig Wood (149)
1942: Byron Nelson (69) defeated Ben Hogan (70)
1954: Sam Snead (70) defeated Ben Hogan (71)
1962: Arnold Palmer (68) defeated Gary Player (71) and Dow Finsterwald (77)
1966: Jack Nicklaus (70) defeated Tommy Jacobs (72) and Gay Brewer (78)
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Jack Nicklaus tosses his golf ball down the 18th fairway after holing out to win the 1966 Masters in a playoff over Tommy Jacobs and Gay Brewer.
Bettmann
1970: Billy Casper (69) defeated Gene Littler (74)
1979: Fuzzy Zoeller (4-3) defeated Ed Sneed (4-4) and Tom Watson (4-4) with a birdie on the second playoff hole (No. 11)
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Fuzzy Zoeller became the last Masters rookie to win the green jacket with his playoff win in 1979.
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1982: Craig Stadler (4) defeated Dan Pohl (5) with a par on the first playoff hole (No. 10)
1987: Larry Mize (4-3) defeated Seve Ballesteros (5) and Greg Norman (4-4) with a birdie on the second playoff hole (No. 11)
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Larry Mize celebrates after holing out a birdie chip to beat Greg Norman in a playoff at the 1987 Masters.
David Cannon
1989: Nick Faldo (5-3) defeated Scott Hoch (5-4) with a birdie on the second playoff hole (No. 11)
1990: Nick Faldo (4-4) defeated Raymond Floyd (4-5) with a par on the second playoff hole (No. 11)
2003: Mike Weir (5) defeated Len Mattiace (6) with a bogey on the first playoff hole (No. 10)
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2005: Tiger Woods (3) defeated Chris DiMarco (4) with a birdie on the first playoff hole (No. 18)
2009: Angel Cabrera (4-4) defeated Kenny Perry (4-5) and Chad Campbell (5) with a par on the second playoff hole (No. 10)
2012: Bubba Watson (4-4) defeated Louis Oosthuizen (4-5) with a par on the second playoff hole (No. 10)
2013: Adam Scott (4-3) defeated Angel Cabrera (4-4) with a birdie on the second playoff hole (No. 10)
2017: Sergio Garcia (3) defeated Justin Rose (5) with a birdie on the first playoff hole (No. 18)
2025: Rory McIlroy (3) defeated Justin Rose (4) with a birdie on the first playoff hole (No. 18)
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