The Open Championship is the game’s oldest Major, first played in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club on the Ayrshire coast in Scotland, and given the championship’s long and storied history, there have been a fair few playoffs – 21 to be precise.

The first 10 Open playoffs – from 1876 to 1973 – were held over 36 holes. The next two – in 1970 and 1975 – were 18-hole playoffs before the R&A changed the format ahead of the 1986 edition.

Between 1986 and 2025, every Open playoff took place over four holes. Now, in 2026, there is a three-hole aggregate playoff.

The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale is finely poised heading into the closing stages and a playoff is certainly possible as we approach the conclusion of round four. But how exactly does it work if there’s a tie at the end of 72 holes this time?

At Royal Birkdale, the routing for the playoff involves holes 14, 15 and 18. The golfers involved try to shoot the lowest score over those three holes and if there’s a clear winner at the 18th, they are the Champion Golfer of the Year.

If players remain tied at the end of that, it becomes sudden death over the 18th hole until a winner emerges.

The 14th is a long par five while the 15th is a new monster par-3 hole. The 18th is a classic long par four, with only the par 5 at Royal Birkdale offering much in the way of birdie chances. Therefore, an even par score through three holes might be enough to see a player lift the Claret Jug.

If the playoff involves more than two players, those other than the winner will be deemed to have tied for second place regardless of their scores in the playoff.

There have been some notable playoffs in the past at The Open. In 1999, Paul Lawrie won The Open at Carnoustie following a four-hole playoff with Justin Leonard and Jean van de Velde. The Scot shot even par, while the other two were both three-over.

In 2007, Padraig Harrington defeated Sergio Garcia in a four-hole playoff to win his first Claret Jug – he shot level compared to Garcia’s one-over and, just a couple of years later, Stewart Cink triumphed over Tom Watson at Turnberry.

The most recent playoff took place at St Andrews in 2015, when Zach Johnson beat Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman.

The Open 2026 Playoff Route

  • Par-5 14th – (593 yards)
  • Par- 3 15th – (241 yards)
  • Par-4 18th – (509 yards) *repeated as often as necessary