AUGUSTA, Ga., April 7 (UPI) -- Sudden-death playoffs at the Masters will start at the 18th hole, instead of the 10th, in a change announced Wednesday.
If a playoff continues beyond the 18th it will go to the 10th, and then back to the 18th, and so on, said Hootie Johnson, tournament chairman.
Previous Masters sudden-death playoffs had started at the 10th hole and continued on to the 11th. None of the six playoffs went more than two holes.
Johnson said the new arrangement will be better for spectators.
Last year, Mike Weir won in a playoff with Len Mattiace.
The Masters is the only major tournament to use the sudden-death playoff format. The U.S. Open uses an 18-hole playoff and the British Open and PGA use a three- or four-hole playoff system, depending on the layout of the golf course.
