What is the US Women’s Open playoff format and rules? Previous playoffs explained

There's a good chance the US Open goes to a playoff for the 15th time, and that means the year's second major could see a new playoff format for the first time.

The US Women's Open playoff format is no longer sudden death. Rather, it's a new two-hole aggregate-score playoff, meaning that the competitors will play immediately after regulation ends on Sunday in search of the US Women's Open trophy. If any players in the playoff are tied after two holes, they go to sudden death to determine a winner.

The playoff holes at Riviera Country Club in 2026 would be the first and 2nd holes, then going in a loop on Nos. 1 and 2 until a winner is crowned.

Originally, the US Women's Open playoff format was an 18-hole stroke-play contest. The last time the US Women's Open went to an 18-hole playoff was 2003, when Hilary Lunke beat Angela Stanford by a shot with a playoff round of 70 at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon.

The first aggregate-score playoff in the US Women's Open was played in 2011, when So Yeon Ryu beat Hee Kyung Seo at The Broadmoor in Colorado. The most recent playoff was in 2021, when Yuka Saso won her first US Women's Open at The Olympic Club over Nasa Hataoka in a three-hole, aggregate-score playoff.

In US Women's Open history, there have never been more than three players in the playoff.

The US Women's Open playoff format had been the only one remaining in the four men's major championships that isn't less than 18 scheduled holes. The Chevron Champonship and Amundi Evian Championship playoff formats are sudden death. The AIG Women's Open Championship playoff format is a three-hole aggregate playoff. The KPMG Women's PGA Championship playoff format is also a three-hole aggregate playoff.

The playoff format is the same for the other USGA open championships, including the US Open, US Senior Open and US Senior Women's Open. The 2021 US Women's Open marked the first time a USGA championship to go the two-hole aggregate-score playoff since it was introduced and standardized in 2018.

US Women's Open playoffs

1. 1953, Country Club of Rochester: Betsy Rawls (71) def. Jacqueline Pung (77)
2. 1956, Northland CC: Kathy Cornelius (75) def. def. Barbara McIntire (a) (82)
3. 1964, San Diego CC: Mickey Wright (70) def. Ruth Jessen (72)
4. 1976, Rolling Green CC: JoAnne Carner (76) def. Sandra Palmer (78)
5. 1986, NCR CC: Jane Geddes (71) def. Sally Little (73)
6. 1987, Plainfield CC: Laura Davies (71) def. Ayako Okamoto (73, JoAnne Gunderson Carner (74)
7. 1992, Oakmont CC: Patty Sheehan (72) def. Juli Inkster (74)
8. 1998, Blackwolf Run: Se Ri Pak (73-5-3) def. Jenny Chuasiriporn (a) (73-5-4)
9. 2003, Pumpkin Ridge GC: Hilary Lunke (70 def. Angela Stanford (71), Kelly Robbins (73)
10. 2006, Newport CC: Annika Sorenstam (70) def. Pat Hurst (74
11. 2011, The Broadmoor: So Yeon Ryu (3-4-3) def. Hee Kyung Seo (3-6-4)
12. 2016, CordeValle: Brittany Lang (3-4-5) def. Anna Nordqvist (3-6-6)
13. 2018, Shoal Creek G&GG: Ariya Jutanugarn (4-4-4-4) def. Hyo-Joo Kim (3-5-4-5)
14. 2021, The Olympic Club: Yuka Saso (4-4-3) def. Nasa Hataoka (4-4-x)