Longest Sudden-Death Playoffs in LPGA Tour History
Before getting to the list of longest LPGA playoffs, let's just remind ourselves what a sudden-death playoff is. That means that the golfers who finished the scheduled length (54 holes or 72 holes, as the case may be) of the tournament tied continue playing additional holes until one of them wins a hole outright. As soon as one golfer posts a lower score than the other(s) on a hole, the playoff is over and the champion is crowned.
The 10-hole playoff that holds this record happened in the early 1970s, but there have been some recent challengers, too.
The List: Longest LPGA Sudden-Death Playoffs
10 Holes
1972 Corpus Christi Civitan Open: Jo Ann Prentice def. Sandra Palmer and Kathy Whitworth. Played at the now-defunct Pharaohs Country Club in Corpus Christi, Texas, this edition of the Corpus Christi Civitan Open ended with Whitworth, Palmer and Prentice tied at 210. They started playing extra holes, and Whitworth was eliminated on the third playoff hole. It was too dark to continue at that point, so Palmer and Prentice returned the following morning. And they parred the fourth hole, the fifth, the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth playoff holes. Finally, on the 10th sudden-death playoff hole, Sandra Palmer three-putted, then Jo Ann Prentice knocked in a four-foot birdie putt to win.
9 Holes
2012 Kingsmill Championship: Jiyai Shin def. Paula Creamer. Shin and Creamer ended the 72 holes tied at 16-under 268 at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia. They began playing the par-4 18th hole in a sudden-death playoff. And Shin and Creamer played it over, and over, and over. Eight times total, each of them parring it each time. Darkness finally halted play. When Shin and Creamer returned the following morning, they played a ninth hole, but this time the par-4 16th. And this time, Shin won it when Creamer made bogey.
2023 Maybank Championship: Celine Boutier def. Atthaya Thitikul. Boutier began the final round tied for eighth place, but a 64 sent her surging up the leaderboard. Thitikul, who had a 62 in the third round, closed with a 68. And when she birdied the 72nd hole, she forced a playoff with Boutier. The playoff nearly ended on the first hole, where Thitikul hit the roof of the hospitality tent, then had to make a 7-foot par putt to stay in it. They played the 18th hole twice, then went to the 15th, then alternated between the two holes. Finally, on the ninth extra hole, both had 10-foot birdie putts. Thitikul missed, Boutier made.
8 Holes
2018 ANA Inspiration: Pernilla Lindberg def. Inbee Park and Jennifer Song. This is the longest sudden-death playoff in LPGA history in a major championship. Park, Song and Lindberg tied after four rounds at 15-under 273 on the Dinah Shore Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. Beginning by playing the par-5 18th repeatedly, Song was eliminated on the third hole. After Park and Lindberg tied again on the fourth hole, darkness halted play. Resuming the next morning, they matched scores on the 10th, 17th and 18th holes. Finally, on the eighth extra hole (the No. 10 hole at Mission Hills), Lindberg sank a 30-foot birdie putt to win.
7 Holes
2004 LPGA Takefuji Classic: Cristie Kerr defeated Seol-An Jeon. Jeon and Kerr tied at the end of the 54 holes of regulation at 7-under 209, at Las Vegas (Nevada) Country Club. That was after Kerr blew a four-stroke lead over Jeon with six holes to play. After matching scores for six holes, Jeon hit into trouble on the seventh playoff hole (the par-4 No. 16). Kerr won the 2004 Takefuji Classic with a three-foot par putt.Related articles:
