How ties are broken

Quick answer. A tie is settled by a different rule in each format. For a stroke play, Stableford or team board, the Tie Handling setting on Event settings decides: Allow ties, Scorecard countback or Manual playoff. Skins has its own rule for a tied hole. In match play, a level match is settled by the Admin. In Wolf a tied hole is a push and nobody scores. Pick your rule before the day and say it out loud.

Who can do this: an Admin or an Organizer picks the Tie Handling setting. Only an Admin can put a tie in order by hand in a playoff, or settle a level match in match play. Everyone with the link can read the result.

Before you start

Know which format you are running, because each one asks a different question. Set up your event in four steps covers the format. Then decide how you want to treat a tie for first place. Some groups share the trophy. Some count back. Some play it off.

The steps

1. Open the setting. On the event page, press Edit in the Event Details box to open Event settings. Find Tie Handling. The note under it reads "Countback breaks ties on stroke-play, Stableford, and team events (scramble, best-ball, Chapman). Manual playoff lets you set the finishing order yourself."
2. Choose one. Allow ties lets tied golfers share the place. The board shows them as T2, for tied for second. Scorecard countback looks at the final round's card. It compares the last nine holes, then the last six, then the last three, then the last hole. Manual playoff keeps the tie on the board until an Admin puts the golfers in order. Press Save Changes.
3. See how countback decides. On stroke play the lower score on those holes goes ahead. On Stableford the golfer with more points on those holes goes ahead. On a team event it is the team's score on those holes. A step-by-step example is in Stroke play: gross and net.
4. Run a manual playoff. Play the playoff on the course. An Admin opens the leaderboard, finds the panel called Manual playoff — break ties and presses the arrows to put the golfers in order. The panel says "Saved instantly".
5. Skins have their own rule. Under Skins on Event settings, When a hole ties is Carry over to the next hole or No skin that hole. Skins has the details.
6. Match play: an Admin settles a level match. Open ⚙ Bracket. A match that ended level shows Choose who advances. Press it, pick a golfer and press Confirm. Match play has the steps.
7. Wolf: a tied hole is a push. The table says "No points (push)" and nobody scores that hole. There is nothing to set. Wolf has the points.

What you should see

Here is our practice stroke play event. Susan Tillman and Dave Prentiss both finish with a net 72.

• On Allow ties, both golfers are shown as T2.
• On Scorecard countback, Susan's net over the last nine holes is 36 and Dave's is 37. Susan is second and Dave is third.
• On Manual playoff, both stay at T2. An Admin sees Manual playoff — break ties with a line that says "Tied at 72 net". Each golfer has an up arrow and a down arrow. Press an arrow to move one of them up, and the board shows the new places straight away.

If a tie cannot be separated even by the last hole, the golfers keep a shared place, because the countback found nothing to split them. Switch to Manual playoff and play it off.

If it goes wrong

• Two golfers are tied and you wanted a winner. Check Tie Handling. If it is Allow ties, change it to Scorecard countback or Manual playoff and press Save Changes. The board re-figures at once.
• You chose Manual playoff and cannot find the arrows. Only an Admin sees Manual playoff — break ties, and only once Tie Handling is saved as Manual playoff. With no tie on the board it says "No ties to break." An Organizer asks an Admin to put the order in.
• Countback did not separate them. They were level over the last nine, six, three and the last hole too. Use Manual playoff.
• Two golfers are tied in a skins, match play or Wolf event. Those formats settle a tied hole or a level match their own way, as in steps 5 to 7.
• A skin disappeared after a tie. When a hole ties under Skins is set to No skin that hole. Change it to Carry over to the next hole.
• A match play match is stuck. A level match does not move on by itself. Press Choose who advances on the bracket.
• You cannot change the format. The Format list is locked once scores are in. The page says "Locked — scores have been entered. Changing the format would re-score the leaderboard." Tie Handling can still be changed.

Director's tip

Tell the group at the first tee how a tie will be settled, and then do what you said. A tie is never an argument if the rule was announced before anyone knew who would be tied.

Related

• Stroke play: gross and net
• Stableford
• Skins
• Match play
• Wolf

Still stuck?

Email support@back9ops.com and tell us the event's name, the format, the Tie Handling setting and the two golfers who are tied.