2023 PGA playoff format: What happens if two or more players are tied after 72 holes?

The rigorous East Course at Oak Hill Country Club is a leveller, thinning out the weak and clustering the world’s best golfers into a tight pack.

As we enter Day 4 of the PGA Championship, the top of the leaderboard is a tight as you could imagine, with 15 players vying for the top 10 spots. While Brooks Koepka sits alone at number one, he is only one stroke above Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland, who are tied for second.

In fact, quite a few players are tied. There are two tied at fifth, two more at eighth, and five tied for tenth. Outside of the top ten, the ties continue exponentially. It is not unthinkable that any of the top 15 players could close the gap and move to the top spot. And with the field so tightly packed, it would not be at all surprising to see a tie for first.

So what happens if the day finishes with these players still tied?

Unlike the British Open which employs a four-hole aggregate playoff, or the US Open which plays a full 18 holes, the PGA Championship uses a three-hole aggregate system, which will then move to sudden-death if still tied.

Any golfers tied for first place at the end of the fourth day will play in a three-hole aggregate playoff, with the lowest combined score over the three holes declared champion. This playoff would start at number 14 and then move to numbers 15 and 18. The players will draw lots to determine who tees off first and if they are still tied at the end of the three holes, it will move on to a sudden-death hole-by-hole match, starting at 18 before going back to numbers 14 and 15. The play will repeat hole-by-hole until someone wins outright.

Past playoffs at the PGA Championship

This playoff system has been the deciding factor in five previous PGA Championships.