British Open playoff format: Here’s how the winner could be determined at St. Andrews

All good things must come to an end, but in the case of the 2022 Open Championship, who said they have to end after only 72 holes?

As we come down the stretch at the Old Course, things are tightening up now more than ever. Rory McIlroy, the 54-hole co-leader, is fighting for a share of the lead as he turns into the home stretch at St. Andrews. Cameron Smith, who played in the final group on Saturday, is mounting a run of his own. And that’s to say nothing of Cameron Young and Viktor Hovland, who are well within striking distance as they turn for Swilcan Bridge.

To put it lightly, things are getting tight at the Open Championship. So what happens if things are tied when regulation play ends?

Should the Open head into a playoff, it will be contested in a four-hole aggregate format. This means all players tied for the lead at the end of 72 holes will play against each other for four additional playoff holes. The player with the lowest score at the end of the four-hole stretch will be crowned the winner and Champion Golfer of the Year.

In a playoff at St. Andrews, players would compete on the “loop” consisting of the 1st, 2nd, 17th and 18th holes. If the players are still tied at end of four holes, they head back to the 18th, which they will play in sudden-death format until a winner is determined.

There have been five playoffs ever at the Old Course, the most recent coming in 2015, when Zach Johnson defeated Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in a four-hole playoff to win his second major.

James Colgan

Golf.com Editor

James Colgan is an assistant editor at GOLF, contributing stories for the website and magazine. He writes the Hot Mic, GOLF’s weekly media column, and utilizes his broadcast experience across the brand’s social media and video platforms. A 2019 graduate of Syracuse University, James — and evidently, his golf game — is still defrosting from four years in the snow. Prior to joining GOLF, James was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from. He can be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.