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It was only after Alex Smalley made his birdie putt on Aronimink Golf Club’s 18th green Saturday that the leader at the 2026 PGA Championship at any point this week was clear of his next closest challenger by more than a stroke.
Smalley, who has never been out front after 54 holes in a PGA Tour event let alone won a title, takes a two-shot advantage into the final round. But given the fact that 21(!) players are within three of the leader, not to mention the difficulty of Aronimink’s back nine (which has played a stroke harder than the front this week), it’s reasonable to wonder whether we might be needing extra holes to decide the champion on Sunday.
With that let’s answer a simple question that many might have: What happens if there is a tie for the lead after 72 holes?
Naturally, there will be a playoff to decide who walks off with the Wanamaker Trophy. But unlike at a standard PGA Tour event, the PGA Championship playoff isn’t a sudden-death contest. Instead, the PGA of America employs a three-hole aggregate-score playoff to determine a winner, a format adopted in 2000. All those players who are tied will play once more Aronimink’s 10th, 17th and 18th holes. The low score among the players when you add up all three holes is the winner.
But what if there’s still a tie after the three holes? Then the PGA of America does switch to hole-by-hole sudden death. The players remaining go back to the 18th hole and repeat playing that hole until someone finally emerges as the champion.
One other thing to note: No matter how many players make their way into the playoff—2, 3, 6 or more—they'll all play in the same group throughout the playoff.
Since the PGA Championship switched from match play to stroke play in 1958, there have been 14 playoffs. The last playoff took place four years ago when Justin Thomas outlasted Will Zalatoris at Southern Hills. Arguably the most memorable took place in 2000, when Tiger Woods outlasting Bob May at Valhalla to keep the Tiger Slam alive.
Interestingly, all four men's majors employee different playoff formats. The Open Championship uses a four-hole aggregate playoff while the U.S. Open goes with two holes after previously using an 18-hole playoff should there be a tie at the end of regulation. Meanwhile, the Masters uses a simple sudden-death hole-by-hole format for its playoff.
MORE GOLF DIGEST PGA CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE
PGA Championship 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions
How to watch the 2026 PGA Championship
Power Rankings: Every player in the PGA field, ranked
Why the PGA at Aronimink is a great fit for Philly’s everyman sports culture
What tour pros do before a major to prep
Video: Every hole at Aronimink
Bryson’s uncertain future
The crazy story of Walter Hagen and the lost Wanamaker Trophy
The most ‘PGA’ moments in PGA Championship history
Continue reading...
Smalley, who has never been out front after 54 holes in a PGA Tour event let alone won a title, takes a two-shot advantage into the final round. But given the fact that 21(!) players are within three of the leader, not to mention the difficulty of Aronimink’s back nine (which has played a stroke harder than the front this week), it’s reasonable to wonder whether we might be needing extra holes to decide the champion on Sunday.
With that let’s answer a simple question that many might have: What happens if there is a tie for the lead after 72 holes?
Naturally, there will be a playoff to decide who walks off with the Wanamaker Trophy. But unlike at a standard PGA Tour event, the PGA Championship playoff isn’t a sudden-death contest. Instead, the PGA of America employs a three-hole aggregate-score playoff to determine a winner, a format adopted in 2000. All those players who are tied will play once more Aronimink’s 10th, 17th and 18th holes. The low score among the players when you add up all three holes is the winner.
But what if there’s still a tie after the three holes? Then the PGA of America does switch to hole-by-hole sudden death. The players remaining go back to the 18th hole and repeat playing that hole until someone finally emerges as the champion.
One other thing to note: No matter how many players make their way into the playoff—2, 3, 6 or more—they'll all play in the same group throughout the playoff.
Since the PGA Championship switched from match play to stroke play in 1958, there have been 14 playoffs. The last playoff took place four years ago when Justin Thomas outlasted Will Zalatoris at Southern Hills. Arguably the most memorable took place in 2000, when Tiger Woods outlasting Bob May at Valhalla to keep the Tiger Slam alive.
Interestingly, all four men's majors employee different playoff formats. The Open Championship uses a four-hole aggregate playoff while the U.S. Open goes with two holes after previously using an 18-hole playoff should there be a tie at the end of regulation. Meanwhile, the Masters uses a simple sudden-death hole-by-hole format for its playoff.
MORE GOLF DIGEST PGA CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE
PGA Championship 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions
How to watch the 2026 PGA Championship
Power Rankings: Every player in the PGA field, ranked
Why the PGA at Aronimink is a great fit for Philly’s everyman sports culture
What tour pros do before a major to prep
Video: Every hole at Aronimink
Bryson’s uncertain future
The crazy story of Walter Hagen and the lost Wanamaker Trophy
The most ‘PGA’ moments in PGA Championship history
Continue reading...
