What happens if there’s a tie at The Masters? The rules explained

The 2025 Masters is going to the wire with Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose having to play a sudden death play-off.

The 2025 Masters is going to the wire with Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose having to play a sudden death play-off.
MICHAEL REAVES | AFP
Paul Reidy
Irish native who switched from the music industry to the world of sport moving from Universal Music to AS in 2017. A keen runner, soccer player and now discovering the world's fastest growing sport of padel. A fútbol fanatic covering LaLiga, MLS, Liga MX and other offbeat stories from the global game. Can always be found rooting for the underdog.
Update:

If there is a tie for the lead after 72 holes at the Masters Tournament, a sudden-death playoff will determine the winner. Here’s how the play-off works:

The playoff between McIlroy and Rose begins on the 18th hole. If the players involved in the play-off remain tied after the 18th, they proceed to the 10th hole. This two-hole rotation (18th, then 10th) continues until a winner is decided.

There have been 17 playoffs in Masters history. Eleven of those have been under the sudden-death format with The Masters adopting the sudden-death playoff format in 1976. The first sudden-death playoff occurred in 1979, when Fuzzy Zoeller defeated Ed Sneed and Tom Watson in a three way battle for the coveted green jacket.

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Since the sudden-death format was implemented, no Masters playoff has gone beyond the second playoff hole.

What happens if there’s a tie at The Masters? The rules explained
A sign pointing to Amen Corner is pictured at the course during the final roundMike Segar

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