Playoff Format at Women's PGA Championship
The Women's PGA Championship, run by the PGA of America, is one of the major championships of women's professional golf. Part of the LPGA Tour, it is the major that was previously known as the LPGA Championship.
In the event of a tie at the end of four rounds, all those golfers tied for the lead play a sudden-death playoff (also known as a hole-by-hole playoff). That means those golfers continue playing extra holes until one of them wins a hole outright. The first golfer to win a hole outright wins the playoff and the trophy.
For example, if Golfer A and Golfer B are tied at the end of regulation, they go into the sudden-death playoff. If on the first extra hole Golfer A scores 4 and Golfer B scores 5, Golfer A wins. But if they both score 4, they continue to a second playoff hole. And so on.
Which holes are used for the playoff? The sudden-death playoff in the Women's PGA Championship always begins on the 18th hole. But how the playoff progresses, if necessary, from that point depends on the layout of the golf course being played. The PGA of America sets the potential playoff holes in advance and announces how the playoff will continue if more than one hole is needed.
In 2025 at PGA Frisco, for example, the playoff would start on the 18th hole, and if needed the players would play the 18th hole a second time, then play holes 7, 8 and 18 in that order and repeatedly for as long as necessary to find a winner.
In 2024 at Sahalee, the playoff order was No. 18, then 14, 17 and 18 repeated in that order. In 2023 at Baltusrol, the playoff order was No. 18, then Nos. 4, 5 and 18 in that order.
Has sudden-death always been the Women's PGA Championship playoff format? For most of its history (dating to 1955), yes. But there were a couple 18-hole playoffs early on. In 1968, Sandra Post defeated Kathy Whitworth in an 18-hole playoff, and in 1970, Shirley Englehorn defeated Whitworth in an 18-hole playoff. Otherwise, every other Women's PGA Championship playoff has been sudden death (aka hole-by-hole).
All the playoff results in this major can be seen on the list of Women's PGA Championship winners.
Sources:
PGA of America. KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Spectator Guide, https://www.kpmgwomenspgachampionship.com/spectator-guide.
PGA of America. Women's PGA Championship Media Guide, Champions Through the Years.