When USGA chief Mike Davis announced last week that our men’s national golf championship was scrapping it’s traditional 18 hole playoff, the news was greeted with praise from all over the golf world. 

The USGA announced it would scrap the former format for a two-hole aggregate playoff immediately after the conclusion of the U.S. Open on Sunday evening. If the two-hole playoff ends in a tie, the players would go to a sudden death format on the third playoff hole. 

While we remember the great playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate in the classic 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, it was hard to have to wait 24 hours to see the finish. An immediate battle in a playoff format such as we have now would have been far more satisfying. 

Central Ohio resident Dave Shedloski of Golf Digest has written a new article about the format change.