British Open playoff format, explained: Extra holes rules for 2024 Open Championship and how tiebreaker works in golf

Anyone who paid attention to the first round of the Open Championship could have guessed that a playoff might be in play on Sunday. Tough conditions created a tight leaderboard, and it didn't break on Friday or Saturday as nearly a dozen players entered the final round within striking distance.

Despite plenty of great finishes in recent years, only one major has required a playoff since the start of 2018. Justin Thomas prevailed over Will Zalatoris in a playoff at the 2022 PGA Championship, earning his second career win in the event.

A playoff looked like it might have been in store at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open this year, and both would have included Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau didn't get the opportunity in May, when Xander Schauffele held him off, but it was DeChambeau who got the better of Rory McIlroy in an intense U.S. Open finish in June.

Is a playoff on the table at Royal Troon? Here's what you need to know about how the format would work.

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British Open playoff format 2024

The Open Championship boasts a four-hole aggregate playoff format, with golfers playing No. 1, No. 2, No. 17, and No. 18 for the chance to win a major.

Because this is an aggregate playoff, all four holes must be played. The player with the best score after four holes will win. If players are still tied after four holes, they will play a sudden-death playoff at the No. 18 hole.

Here's a look at how those four holes break down:

How extra holes work in golf

Depending on the tournament, there are typically two different types of playoff formats when 72 holes can't determine a winner,

— Aggregate: Aggregate playoff formats, which require golfers to play multiple holes (depending on the event), are generally less common but dominate major championships. The only major tournament without an aggregate playoff format is the Masters, where players compete in a sudden-death format involving the No. 18 hole and No. 10 if necessary.

— Sudden death: Some PGA Tour events feature a sudden death format in which the first player to win a hole wins the tournament. The holes are decided depending on the tournament.

MORE: What to know about British Open contender Thriston Lawrence

British Open playoff history

The British Open has gone to a playoff 20 times in the tournament's long history. The British Open went to a playoff seven times in 15 years from 1995-2009, but only once (2015) has a playoff been required since Stewart Cink's win in 2009.

Here's a look at every British Open to reach a playoff: