The last 18-hole playoff at the U.S. Open came in 2008 when Tiger Woods beat Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines on a broken leg to win his 14th major.
That was the last playoff at the U.S. Open and as we found out on Monday, that was now the last ever 18-hole U.S. Open playoff.
Starting in 2018, ties will be broken with a 2️⃣-hole aggregate playoff in all USGA Open championships:#USWomensOpen☑@usopengolf ☑#USSeniorOpen ☑#USSeniorWomensOpen☑ pic.twitter.com/RICxgCyOof
— USGA (@USGA) February 26, 2018
Beginning with this year’s U.S. Open, the USGA is trading their 18-hole Monday playoff for a new, two-hole aggregate playoff that will be contested on Sunday as soon as the final round is complete. The playoff format will be implemented across all four of the USGA’s Open championships.
“We know how important it is for everyone in the golf world to see play conclude on the Sunday of a major championship, and to award the trophy to the champion,” said USGA executive director Mike Davis. “After receiving input from a variety of constituents, including players, fans, volunteers, officials and our broadcast partners, it clearly came across as something that everyone valued and would benefit from.”
With the U.S. Open going to a two-hole playoff, the four majors are now batting for the golf “cycle”. The Masters has a sudden-death playoff format to determine its champion, while the PGA Championship and The Open use a three- and four-hole aggregate playoff, respectively.
