What happens if there is a tie after 72 holes at The Open Championship?

What happens in the event of a tie at the Open Championship?

The last time The Open Championship was tied after 72 holes was in 2015 meaning we are probably overdue a nail-biting finish sooner rather than later.

If two or more players can’t be separated after four rounds then The Open Championship heads to a playoff, consisting of a four-hole aggregate mini-competition followed by a sudden death shootout if the lead is still tied. The playoff format is at the discretion of the Open Championship Committee, and may therefore be played over three or four holes depending on the course routing.

The only men’s Major not to employ an aggregate system in the event of a tie is the Masters which heads straight to sudden death to determine who slips on the green jacket.

The world’s oldest Major has required a playoff to crown the ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’ on five occasions since the turn of the century, last triggered at St Andrews in 2015 where Zach Johnson defeated Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman. Six years earlier in 2009 Tom Watson missed out on becoming the oldest Major champion in regulation play after he was unable to par the 72nd hole at Turnberry, going on to lose out to Stewart Cink in the playoff.

Before that it was Carnoustie where Padraig Harrington won the first of his two Open Championships, defeating Sergio Garcia, and at Royal Troon in 2004 Todd Hamilton denied Ernie Els a second playoff victory for the Claret Jug after Els came out on top in a three-way playoff in 2002.

The Open Championship has gone to a playoff 21 times in its 152-year history.

The Open Championship: Playoff history