Sudden death is the preferred format to settle ties at the Masters Tournament.
The tournament has produced 16 playoffs in its history, and 10 have been settled by sudden death.
The Masters is the only major that uses sudden death to determine a winner in the event of a tie. Sudden-death playoffs used to begin at No. 10, but now the Masters starts them on No. 18.
The last 18-hole playoff at Augusta National came in 1970, and in 1976 the tournament announced a switch to the sudden-death format.
Though some purists might prefer the predetermined number of holes used by the other majors, it’s hard to deny the drama that has accompanied some of the sudden-death playoffs at the Masters.
No sudden-death playoff has lasted more than two holes, and it has produced great shots like the pitch shot Larry Mize holed in 1987 and the shot out of the pines by Bubba Watson in 2012.
1935:
Players: Gene Sarazen and Craig Wood
HOW SARAZEN WON: In the tournament’s only 36-hole playoff, Sarazen won by five strokes
OF NOTE: Sarazen made a double eagle on the par-5 15th to tie Wood and force the playoff.
1942:
Players: Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan
HOW NELSON WON: Nelson edged Hogan 69-70 thanks to a fast start.
OF NOTE: Nelson won his second Masters in an 18-hole playoff against good friend and rival Hogan.
1954:
Players: Sam Snead and Ben Hogan
HOW SNEAD WON: Snead nipped his main rival 70-71 in a memorable duel thanks in part to a chip-in birdie at No. 10.
OF NOTE: Snead became a three-time Masters champion, and Hogan became the only player to have lost two playoffs.
1962:
Players: Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald
HOW PALMER WON: Palmer shot 68 to beat Player by three and Finsterwald by nine.
OF NOTE: Palmer claimed his third Masters victory in the tournament’s first three-man playoff.
1966:
Players: Jack Nicklaus, Tommy Jacobs and Gay Brewer
HOW NICKLAUS WON: Nicklaus posted 70 to edge Jacobs by two shots and Brewer by eight.
OF NOTE: Nicklaus became the first champion to successfully defend his Masters title.
1970:
Players: Billy Casper and Gene Littler
HOW CASPER WON: Casper used a hot putter to shoot 69 and win by five.
OF NOTE: Casper won the Masters in his 14th attempt, a record at the time.
1979:
Players: Fuzzy Zoeller, Ed Sneed and Tom Watson
HOW ZOELLER WON: After all three made pars on No. 10, Zoeller rolled in a short birdie putt on No. 11.
OF NOTE: Zoeller, a first-time competitor, won the Masters in the first sudden-death playoff.Players: Craig Stadler and Dan Pohl
1982:
Players: Craig Stadler and Dan Pohl
HOW STADLER WON: He made par on No. 10 after Pohl missed his 6-foot par attempt.
OF NOTE: It was the first one-hole playoff in Masters history.
1987:
Players: Larry Mize, Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman
HOW MIZE WON: After Ballesteros was eliminated on the first playoff hole, Mize made a 140-foot pitch shot for birdie on the second playoff hole, No. 11.
OF NOTE: Augusta native Mize was the underdog in this three-man playoff.Players: Nick Faldo
and Scott Hoch
1989:
Players: Nick Faldo and Scott Hoch
HOW FALDO WON: After Hoch missed a 2-foot par putt on the first playoff hole, Faldo made a 25-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole, No. 11.
OF NOTE: Faldo shot 65 in the final round to get into the sudden-death playoff.
1990:
Players: Nick Faldo and Raymond Floyd
HOW FALDO WON: He made par on the second playoff hole, No. 11, while Floyd found the water.
OF NOTE: Faldo, the only champion to win two playoffs and the second champion to successfully defend his title, won on No. 11 again.
2003:
Players: Mike Weir and Len Mattiace
HOW WEIR WON: Mattiace found trouble left of the green and Weir needed only a bogey to win on the first playoff hole, No. 10.
OF NOTE: Weir, the first left-handed champion, got the title in the only playoff to be won with a bogey.
2005:
Players: Tiger Woods and Chris DiMarco
HOW WOODS WON: Birdie on the first playoff hole, No. 18
OF NOTE: In the first sudden-death playoff to begin on No. 18, Woods became a four-time champion.
2009:
Players: Angel Cabrera, Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell
HOW CABRERA WON: He made a par save from the trees on the first playoff hole, No. 18, and then won on the second playoff hole, No. 10, with par.
OF NOTE: In the first three-man playoff since 1987, he became the first South American champion.
2012:
Players: Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen
HOW WATSON WON: From the right trees, he hit a hook shot that found the green on the second playoff hole, No. 10. He two-putted for par.
OF NOTE: Watson became the third left-handed golfer to win the Masters.
2013:
Players: Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera
HOW SCOTT WON: Scott rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole, No. 10.
OF NOTE: Scott became the first golfer from Australia to win.