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Meaning & use

sudden death in golf

phrase·Advancedsport

Last updated

UK/ˌsʌdn ˈdeθ ɪn ɡɒlf/
US/ˌsʌdn ˈdeθ ɪn ɡɑːlf/

Meanings

  1. phraseuncountablesport

    A way of deciding a tied golf match by playing extra holes until one player wins a hole and the match ends at once.

    Grammar: Used as a singular idea, so it takes a singular verb: 'Sudden death is used in playoffs.'

    Patterns

    • decided by sudden death
    • win on sudden death
    • sudden death playoff
    • go to sudden death

    Both players finished level, so the final went to sudden death.

    She won on the second hole of sudden death with a steady par.

    In sudden death, the first player to win a hole takes the whole match.

  2. phrasecountablesport

    A single extra hole, or a series of extra holes, played to break a tie in a match or tournament.

    Grammar: Can be countable when you mean the extra hole or holes themselves: 'a sudden death' or 'two sudden deaths'.

    Patterns

    • play a sudden death
    • in a sudden death
    • sudden death hole

    The organizers set up a sudden death on the eighteenth hole.

    He lost in a sudden death after missing a short putt.

    They played three sudden deaths before anyone won.

  3. phraseuncountablesport

    A playoff format in team events such as the Ryder Cup, where each side sends out players to win holes for the team.

    Grammar: Often used after 'in' or 'by' to describe how a team result was settled.

    Patterns

    • settle something by sudden death
    • sudden death in team play

    The cup was settled by sudden death after the singles finished level.

    Team captains choose their order carefully for sudden death.

Common combinations

sudden death playoff
The two leaders faced a sudden death playoff on Sunday afternoon.
win on sudden death
He won on sudden death after his rival found the water.
go to sudden death
The match went to sudden death when both players made par.
decided by sudden death
The championship was decided by sudden death for the first time in years.
sudden death hole
The eighteenth is a tough sudden death hole with a narrow fairway.

Synonyms and how they differ

playoff
A general word for any extra competition to break a tie; sudden death is one specific type of playoff in golf.
extra holes
A plain description of the same idea, but it does not say that the match stops as soon as someone wins a hole.
tiebreaker
A broad term used in many sports; in golf it can mean a playoff, a countback, or sudden death, so it is less exact.

Word family

sudden-death adjective
Used before a noun, as in 'a sudden-death playoff'.
sudden death overtime phrase
The equivalent idea in sports such as hockey or football, where extra time ends as soon as one side scores.

Commonly confused: sudden death in golf or sudden death overtime? sudden death in golf or stroke play?

sudden death in golf vs sudden death overtime

In golf, sudden death means extra holes, not extra minutes; overtime is used in team sports with a clock, so the two phrases are not interchangeable.

sudden death in golf vs stroke play

Stroke play is the usual format where the lowest total score wins; sudden death is only the tie-breaking method used after stroke play or match play ends level.

Practice

The final was all square after eighteen holes, so the players went to ______.

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