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"Playoffs?! Don't talk about playoffs! Are you kidding me? Playoffs? I'm just hoping we can win a game, another game!"
With apologies to former Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Mora, who's imfamous post-game press conference has lived on thanks to Coors Light, I'm gonna talk about playoffs.
Determining a winner at the 2009 Masters required 74 holes. The 2008 U.S. Open needed 91. And even though I'm not about to start another tired debate about the PLAYERS being considered a major championship, the PGA Tour's most lucrative tournament sent Sergio Garcia and Paul Goydos back to the polarizing 17th to settle up.
The question of which playoff format is best to decide a golf tournament was posed prior to this week's PLAYERS, and I think it's both timely and relevant.
Currently all regular PGA Tour tournaments use the sudden-death system, including the PLAYERS and The Masters. The debate of which format to adopt then predictibly arises at major championships.
Using an arbitrary collection of criteria which will include but is not limited to recent playoff history, cirumstances and tradition surrounding each major, personal opinion, a few other opinions and feasibility, I'll take a look at each major and offer up a solution as to which format this championship should adopt.
How attractive and entertaining each format is for a television audiene will be considered, but won't be the overriding factor in my decision. I'll talk about each of the four major championships and leave the PLAYERS alone. For the record, I don't have a problem with deciding the tournament on the 17th green. That hole is the single reason the tournament attracts so much attention in the first place.
Here we go.
The Masters
Playoff Format: Augusta National Golf Club uses the sudden-death variety. It's curious as to why a golf course with so many signature-type holes would choose No. 10 and No. 18 as the venues during a playoff finish. Perhaps it has to do with proximity to the clubhouse and the fact that the tournament is played in early April, when losing daylight is a serious concern.
The Masters actually used an 18-hole playoff format until 1979. In 1935, when the event was known as the Augusta Invitational Tournament, a 36-hole playoff was used to determine a winner.
The lack of excitement during recent editions of the Masters, especially on Sunday, has recently been the subject of much consternation among the golf community. The game's most prestigious tournament has become synonymous with the Sunday charge. The rising action on the back nine and eventual crescendo during Sunday's final round has become almost ritual, probably peaking when Jack Nicklaus won at age 46 in 1986. It doesn't make sense to finish the Masters on a Monday, unless it's impossible to do so.
Recent Example: Kenny Perry, Chad Campbell and 2009 Masters Champion Angel Cabrera played No. 18, which eliminated Campbell. The two remaining players moved to No. 10, where Perry pulled his second shot, leaving Cabrera to two-putt for the win. It was a relatively anti-climactic finish.
Ideal Playoff Scenario: I can't take credit for this idea, but I completely agree with it. Loss of light would be a barrier to it's success.
Jimmy Burch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote, "Barring a weather delay, the Masters should end on Sunday. And if a playoff is required, it should end at Amen Corner. Those three holes, with their risk-reward combination of water hazards, bunkers and birdie opportunities, capture the essence of Augusta better than the waterless, par-producing playoff holes currently in place."
A three-hole aggregate playoff at Amen Corner would be a dramatic way to decide The Masters, regardless of who was playing. This year's conclusion wouldn't have been so drab if Phil and Tiger were on the 18th tee.
U.S. Open
Playoff Format: The USGA uses an 18-hole stroke play format, which is played the Monday following the final round. The argument that this format deprives the national television audience of an opportunity to witness the finish is valid, but those who have access to the internet at work won't have to miss out. A serious job and hard-ass employer could obviously impact that last statement.
Last year USOpen.com set a record for live concurrent streaming viewers during the Monday playoff finish at Torrey Pines. At peak activity, more than 600,000 concurrent streams were active.
A runaway round by one player could ruin the playoff, but that just hasn't happened in recent history. If you take any lesson from the 2009 Masters, it's that 18 holes of Tiger and Phil would be better than a handful.
 Recent Example: The 2008 U.S. Open will go down as one of the best golf tournaments ever played. We all remember what happened between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines. Very rarely do we get to watch every single stroke a player takes during a round, even Tiger Woods. Chances are that every 18-hole playoff won't be this exciting, but this was an occassion that proved the more the better.
Ideal Playoff Scenario: The 18-hole Monday format should never be changed. It's unique to our national golf championship and is an opportunity to showcase the golf course and the players who've earned the right to be in the spotlight by performing so well during the first 72 holes.
British Open
Playoff Format: Golf's oldest major championship breaks a tie with a four-hole aggregate playoff score. This format allows a player enough time to redeem a bad play while still finishing on Sunday.
Recent Example: In 2007, both Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington sputtered on the final hole at Carnoustie Golf Club and wound up in a playoff, with Harrington taking the Claret Jug. Over the past 11 years, the Open Championship has ended in a playoff five times.
Ideal Playoff Scenario: Personally, I can't get enough British Open golf. We don't get to watch or play a whole lot of links golf on this side of the pond, so this tournament is fasciniating on many levels. Before the 2008 U.S. Open, Jean Van de Velde's carnage at Carnoustie in 1999 was in my opinion, the single most compelling golf-related event I can remember. I would've loved to see Van de Velde in an 18-hole playoff, and the same goes for Sergio and Paddy.
I love waking up early in the summer to watch British Open golf, and I wouldn't mind if it lasted for two weeks. It's a national championship, so why not opt for the 18-hole Monday playoff. A major championship deserves a spectacular and grueling finale.
PGA Championship
Playoff Format: The least attractive of golf's four major championships is also last in terms of the schedule. The forgotten major employs a three-hole aggregate playoff. But prior to 1958, the PGA Championship was a match play event.
 Recent Example: Vijay Singh defeated Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco at Whistling Straits in 2004, but the one we all remember is Tiger's win over Bob May in 2000 at Valhalla. You know where Tiger hits the putt, sprints after it and proudly points as his ball drops into the cup.
That was an awesome finish, so if we stuck with that format, I wouldn't be opposed.
Ideal Playoff Scenario: I just think the PGA Championship needs a jolt to give it more of a buzz, and maybe a controversial playoff format would give it that edge. What if the PGA of America deferred to the three-hole aggregate playoff in the event of three-way or better tie. But if two men remain at the top after 72 holes, make it an 18-hole Monday match play final. We need more match play than the one event in Arizona, and the PGA Championship needs something. This could be it.
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