Players 2025: Here’s the playoff format used to settle a tie at TPC Sawgrass

There was a race against Mother Nature going on Sunday at the Players Championship, where final-round tee times at TPC Sawgrass were moved up due to an afternoon weather forecast that includes thunderstorms and even potential for tornado warnings. This allowed all 72 holes to get finished, despite a four-hour rain delay with the leaders on the back nine. But it didn't allow a winner to be crowned, as Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun, tied at 12-under 276, will have to come back on Monday to determine a champion in the sixth ever playoff in Players Championship history.

Here's the results from the previous five:

1981: Raymond Floyd def. Barry Jaeckel, Curtis Strange with par on first extra hole (Sawgrass CC)

1987: Sandy Lyle def. Jeff Sluman with par on third extra hole, No. 18

2008: Sergio Garcia def. Paul Goydos with par on first extra hole, No. 17,

2011: K.J. Choi def. David Toms with a par on first extra hole, No. 17,

2015: Rickie Fowler defeats Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner

All this is worth noting because when you tune in Monday at 9 a.m., you'll notice the format the PGA Tour uses for a playoff at its flagship event is different than what’s used at any other regular PGA Tour event.

Indeed, when there's a tie after 72 holes at Sawgrass, all players return to the course and play a three-hole aggregate playoff. And those three holes are Sawgrass’ trio of memorable finishing holes: the par-5 16th, par-3 17th and par-4 18th.

If there is still a tie after that, the playoff reverts to sudden death with all those remaining returning again to the 17th hole. Then they would play, No. 16, 17 and 18 in a rotation.

The three-hole format was put into place in 2014. It’s been used just once, back in 2015, when Garcia bowed out after the initial three holes, then Fowler made a birdie when returning to the 17th hole to outlast Kisner.

Needless to say, as the prospects of a playoff played out on Sunday, with Kisner working in the TV booth for NBC during the broadcast, there was plenty of discussion about what it’s like to play extra holes for the Players title. And we'll get to see it again come Monday.