NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA. — A historically bunched leaderboard at the 2026 PGA Championship is making for a thrilling Sunday afternoon as the leaders jockey for position at Aronimink Golf Club, but it is also creating serious potential for a tie on top after 72 holes.
That would send the second major of the year into a playoff, which was last seen at a PGA Championship back in 2022 when Justin Thomas completed a seven-shot comeback to top Will Zalatoris to win his second Wanamaker Trophy at Southern Hills.
If no one can separate themselves after 72 holes at Aronimink, the same format will apply in 2026.
A PGA Championship playoff at Aronimink would not be held in sudden death but rather a three-hole aggregate. Golfers would play No. 10, No. 17 and No. 18 — in order — with their total score across those holes determining the champion.
If that is still not enough to determine a winner, the playoff combatants would play the 18th hole repeatedly in a sudden-death format until a winner is crowned.
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The PGA Championship changed from an immediate sudden-death playoff to a three-hole aggregate format in 2000 when Tiger Woods bested Bob May at Valhalla.
What makes this year so interesting is not just the potential for a playoff, but also the possibility of it featuring several players. There have only been two PGA Championships with a playoff that featured more than two players — 1978 and 2004 — and if we get more than three, it would be a PGA Championship record.
No matter how many players qualify for the playoff, they would all play in the same group — meaning, even if seven golfers are tied for the lead, they would all play one after another in the same grouping.
As Sunday afternoon wears on, whether a playoff will be necessary should crystallize. If so, the tournament will extend to at least 75 holes in order to determine a winner.
Sunset is scheduled for 8:12 p.m. ET outside Philadelphia, which will be notable for any potential playoff, as the PGA of America would have to determine whether the tournament could finish in time. If not, returning Monday to crown a champion would become a possibility.