An aggregate playoff totals the prescribed holes
The PGA of America’s 2026 guide specifies an initial three-hole aggregate playoff. The relevant comparison is the players’ combined score over that prescribed sequence. A player’s advantage on its first hole is therefore not by itself a completed playoff result.
For a viewing note, track each playoff hole and cumulative strokes within the sequence. Do not treat the first better score as the trophy moment simply because you recently watched another tournament use sudden death. The playoff heading and event conditions establish the correct unit of comparison.
Sudden death has a different decision boundary
The DP World Tour’s 2026 Masters guide describes that event’s playoff as sudden death, in contrast with the other majors’ initial aggregate formats. A decisive score at the end of a hole can therefore resolve that contest without a requirement to complete an initial three-hole aggregate.
The PGA guide also provides for hole-by-hole play if its initial aggregate remains tied. A long playoff can thus change from one method to another during the same event. Keep the phase of the playoff with the score rather than assuming its procedure is constant from the first extra shot onward.
Use the event’s actual route and final result
The exact playoff holes are event-specific. This guide does not substitute one venue’s route for another or reconstruct a contested hole sequence from conflicting secondary descriptions. The organiser’s conditions and final record are the appropriate references for the edition shown.
These primary institutional guides were checked on 4 November 2026. A regular-round leaderboard, an aggregate-playoff subtotal and a later hole-by-hole result are different records. Preserve the post-round footage and official result before concluding that a highlights package shows the decisive putt or the entire playoff.