They are usually played directly after completion of the final round, with the exception of 18 hole aggregate playoffs which may be held the following day.
It took Peter Thomson 14 holes to defeat Graham Marsh, Brian Jones and Shozo Miyamoto.
[5] Tiger Woods, when interviewed immediately after his 2008 U.S. Open victory at Torrey Pines, stated that "as a player who's playing well, you want to go more holes.
"[5] Others, such as professional golfer Chris DiMarco,[5] claim that it is not fair to gruel through 72 holes and lose the tournament on one bad swing in sudden death.
This is widely considered to be the fairest way of deciding a winner, as one bad shot does not eliminate all chances of winning, and is used in the four men's major championships.
The first playoff in The Masters in 1935 was contested over 36 holes, when Gene Sarazen overcame Craig Wood.
However it was not invoked until Mark Calcavecchia, Greg Norman and Wayne Grady tied at Royal Troon in 1989.