Top 7: Most memorable golf play-off victories
Memorable golf play-off victories
A sudden death golf play-off can provide some of the best entertainment and dramatic finishes the golfing world has ever seen.
Here NCG countdown the 7 best play-off victories in history:
7. Carey Middlecoff and Lloyd Mangrum- 1949 Motor City Open
Alongside Sam Snead, Carey Middlecoff and Lloyd Mangrum were the big money earners of the year when they travelled to Detroit to play the 1949 Motor City Open.
Mangrum, the more experienced of the two, credited with comment it’s not ‘how’ but ‘how many’ that counts, must have been asking himself how many holes it would take to defeat his opponent, after the pair tied 11 sudden death play-off holes in a row.
Following 83 holes of golf they were declared co-winners of the event and shared the $4,500 of prize money.
6. Robert Allenby- 2001 Nissain Open
The 2001 Nissain Open concluded with six player’s tying for the lead and a sudden death play-off followed.
Robert Allenby defeated Toshi Izawa, Brandel Chamblee, Bob Tway, Jeff Sluman and Dennis Paulson at the first time of asking when he was the only player to hit the GIR on the first play-off hole.
A sensational 3-wood left Allenby just 8ft to take victory and boast play-off record 3-0 on the PGA tour.
5. Brittany Lang- Women’s US Open 2016
Brittany Lang’s US Open win will be forever remembered for the controversial events that occurred during her 3 hole play-off with Swede Anna Nordqvist.
Nordqvist was deemed to have grounded her club in a bunker on the 2nd play-off hole, yet this was only discovered until Nordqvist had played her approach shot into the final green.
“I wish the USGA would have told me a little bit earlier. They approached me after I had already hit my third shot into 18”
“I don’t know if it would have changed the outcome, but it certainly would have changed my aggressiveness into the 18th pin”.
4. Tiger Woods- US Open 2008
An emphatic birdie at the last hole of regulation play earned Tiger Woods an 18 hole play-off with Journeyman Rocco Mediate.
The play-off did not go all Tiger’s way with 45 year old Mediate fighting back to take a one shot lead going into the 18th after being 3 strokes behind through just 10 holes.
Similarly to the day before Woods birdied the last and clinched the title at the first sudden-death play-off hole.
