The 2025 U.S. Open always felt like it could go to a playoff at Oakmont. It's been an absolute grind on the brutally difficult course throughout U.S. Open week. One result of that has been players like Wyndham Clark and Rory McIlroy seeming completely broken by it. However, others have risen to the occasion, such as Sam Burns, Adam Scott, Viktor Hovland and J.J. Spaun, and put themselves in the mix to win the U.S. Open. The problem, however, has been that scoring has been so difficult at Oakmont that no one has been able to separate.
Because of the scores and so many players being left within striking distance, that set up a dramatic finish during Sunday's final round and, of course, the possibility for a playoff. But whether it's the U.S. Open, The Masters (where we got a playoff this year) or even a regular PGA Tour event, the playoff format can vary wildly throughout golf based on the tournament.
So what is the U.S. Open playoff format? What holes are played to decide the tie after 72 holes? Let's unpack all of that, as well as recent playoffs at this major championship and the one big change golf fans likely remember about the U.S. Open with their playoffs.
U.S. Open playoff format: 72-hole tiebreaker rules
The U.S. Open playoff format is a two-hole aggregate playoff, meaning that the players tied after 72 holes will play two holes and the player with the best score thereafter will be declared the winner. This format differs from the other three major championships, however. The Masters uses a sudden-death playoff (one hole), the PGA Championship features a three-hole aggregate playoff, and The Open Championship is the longest with a four-hole aggregate.
What holes are played in a U.S. Open playoff at Oakmont?
In the two-hole aggregate playoff at the U.S. Open, they will play the 17th and 18th holes at Oakmont to determine the winner. That's an extremely fun finish with the drivable Par-4 17th and the brutally tricky 18th hole that's also getable with two great shots. In order to determine a major champion, you couldn't ask for a better two-hole finish.
However, if Holes No. 17 and 18 are played and golfers in the playoff are still tied, then the players will then continue in a sudden-death format, going back to the 15th hole and playing their way through the 18th hole until a winner is ultimately determined.
When was the last playoff at the U.S. Open?
The last playoff in the U.S. Open came all the way back in 2008 when Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines in an epic clash. It's hard to believe that we've been nearly two decades since getting a playoff finish at America's national open, but here we are. However, playoffs have never been all that common at the U.S. Open, even if they've been more frequent than in recent years. Prior to Tiger's win, the last previous playoff was in 2001 as Retief Goosen defeated Mark Brooks, while the last one before that was in 1994 with Ernie Els emerging triumphant (at Oakmont!) over Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts.
Major change from the previous U.S. Open playoff format
When looking back at Tiger Woods' victory over Rocco Mediate, fans might notice one key change to the U.S. Open playoff format. Even in 2008, the format was an 18-hole playoff that was played on Monday after the championship to determine the winner. While that's phenomenal theater, the USGA elected to move away from that format, making the change official in 2018 to the two-hole aggregate format. While we haven't had a playoff since that change, it's definitely worth remembering how drastically different the format is from what it once was for many years.