You’ll never have to worry about how you’ll be able to watch a U.S. Open playoff again.
The USGA announced on Monday that the days of the 18-hole Monday playoff for not only the U.S. Open, but all USGA Open Championships will be replaced with a much more time-friendly alternative.
USGA announces U.S. Open playoff will now consist of two-hole aggregate instead of previous 18-holer.
Mike Davis: "Everybody really wanted to see a Sunday finish."
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelESPN) February 26, 2018
Will Gray of GolfChannel.com had more.
Beginning this year, the USGA will have a two-hole aggregate playoff in the event of a tie after 72 holes of stroke play. If the players are still tied, they’ll continue in a sudden-death format.
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.”
All in on the two-hole playoff change for the @usopengolf – always felt Monday finish was a little bit of a letdown + dudes were already exhausted from the four-day challenge. Good on ya, USGA.
— Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) February 26, 2018
There hasn’t been an 18-hole playoff in the U.S. Open since Tiger Woods’ stirring victory in 2008. The U.S. Women’s and Senior Opens previously used a three-hole aggregate playoff to determine its champion.
“There is no right or wrong way to determine a winner in stroke play, but we’ve seen over the years how the aggregate playoff has served us well in both the U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open,” Davis said. “Two holes will allow a player to recover from any single mistake, and at the same time, provide a memorable, and perhaps dramatic, experience for all involved.”
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.
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