2026 PGA Championship: What's the playoff format at Aronimink?
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Scottie Scheffler throws a dart off the tee to set up birdie at PGA Championship
In the event of a tie for first place after 72 holes at the 2026 PGA Championship, there will be a three-hole aggregate score playoff on holes Nos. 10, 17 and 18 at Aronimink Golf Club. If still tied, there will be a sudden-death playoff on No. 18 repeated until a winner is determined.
About the playoff holes:
The 472-yard, par-4 10th features two fairway bunkers and a dangerous pond guarding the front left of the water-surrounded green. The 17th is a lengthy 229-yard par 3, where any tee shot to the left could find a pond that runs down the entire left side of the green. The finishing 490-yard, demanding 18th confronts players with trees on both sides and a trio of bunkers on the right side of the fairway. The approach is uphill to a large, terraced green. Pin positions will likely favor the four corners of the green complex.
The PGA Championship became a stroke-play event in 1958 after using a match-play format for its first 39 iterations.
There have been five PGA Championship playoffs using the current three-hole aggregate playoff:
- 2000: Tiger Woods def. Bob May
- 2004: Vijay Singh def. Chris DiMarco and Justin Leonard
- 2010: Martin Kaymer def. Bubba Watson
- 2011: Keegan Bradley def. Jason Dufner
- 2022: Justin Thomas def. Will Zalatoris
There were eight playoffs prior to the introduction of the three-hole aggregate format, with the first two in 1961 and 1967 using an 18-hole playoff format and six using a sudden-death format.
- 1961: Jerry Barber def. Don January (18-hole playoff)
- 1967: Don January def. Don Massengale (18-hole playoff)
- 1977: Lanny Wadkins def. Gene Littler (sudden death, won on third extra hole)
- 1978: John Mahaffey def. Jerry Pate and Tom Watson (sudden death, won on second extra hole)
- 1979: David Graham def. Ben Crenshaw (sudden death, won on third extra hole)
- 1987: Larry Nelson def. Lanny Wadkins (sudden death, won on first extra hole)
- 1993: Paul Azinger def. Greg Norman (sudden death, won on second extra hole)
- 1996: Mark Brooks def. Kenny Perry (sudden death, won on first extra hole)
