The Masters Tournament is the only men’s major to use sudden death to determine its playoff winner.
In this format, if two or more players are tied after 72 holes of regulation at Augusta National Golf Club, they will compete in a playoff until one person scores lower.
The playoff would begin on the par-4 18th and then, if needed, go to the par-4 10th. It would repeat this cycle until a winner is determined.
The 2025 Masters went into a playoff with Rory McIlroy defeating Justin Rose with birdie on the first extra hole. Rose also lost in the previous Masters playoff, in 2017 to Sergio Garcia, who birdied the 73rd hole as well.
There have been 18 total playoffs in Masters history with the first of 12 sudden-death versions taking place in 1979. Prior to that, an 18-hole playoff was used (with one 36-hole playoff in 1935).
By comparison, the PGA Championship uses a three-hole aggregate, the U.S. Open a two-hole aggregate and The Open Championship a four-hole aggregate.