If you've ever glanced at a PGA TOUR leaderboard and seen the letter T next to a golfer's name, you might have scratched your head for a second. Seeing something like T22 next to a top player's score can feel confusing if you're not used to golf's unique scoring system. Don't worry, it's a very common question, and the answer is refreshingly simple. This guide will walk you through exactly what T22 means, why it happens all the time in professional golf, and how it impacts everything from prize money to a player's world ranking.
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What Does the "T" on a Golf Leaderboard Stand For?
The "T" on a golf leaderboard simply stands for Tied. When you see "T22" next to a player's name, it means that player is tied with at least one other golfer for 22nd place. All players with that same score will share that same rank. You won't just see one person at T22, you'll see a group of them all listed with the same score and position.
For example, imagine a four-day tournament has just wrapped up. After 72 holes of intense competition, let's say three players finish with a total score of 4-under-par.
Player A: -4
Player B: -4
Player C: -4
If that score of -4 is good enough for 22nd place on the leaderboard, the tournament results would display their positions like this:
T22 - Player A
T22 - Player B
T22 - Player C
All three players officially finished in 22nd place. There is no tiebreaker to decide who is 22nd, 23rd, and 24th among them. In the eyes of the tournament, they are all equals at that position. This is a fundamental aspect of golf that sets it apart from many other sports where ties for anything other than first place are often resolved through some other statistic.
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Once you start paying attention to tournament leaderboards, you'll notice ties are everywhere. It’s far more common to see "T15" or "T40" than to see a single player occupying that position. There are a few good reasons for this clustering of scores.
The Sheer Volume of Strokes
A standard professional golf tournament consists of four rounds, totaling 72 holes. The best players in the world will take somewhere between 270 and 280 shots over those four days. With a field of 144 to 156 players, all hitting that many shots, it’s almost a statistical certainty that multiple players will end up with identical scores. A single missed putt or a lucky bounce out of the trees on Thursday can be the tiny difference that separates T22 from T28, or T22 from T15. When so many shots are in play, finishing on the exact same number as someone else becomes very likely.
Incredibly High and Condensed Skill Level
While we might see a big difference in winnings or fame between the golfer ranked 10th in the world and the one ranked 70th, their actual scoring ability from week to week is remarkably similar. On any given tournament weekend, dozens of players have the talent to put together four solid rounds. This leads to a natural "bunching" effect on the leaderboard, especially in the middle of the pack. You might have someone shooting 70-71-70-69 and another player shooting 69-70-72-69. Despite taking very different paths, they both end up with the same final score and share the same spot on the leaderboard.
Ties Are Only Broken for First Place
This is probably the most significant reason ties are so prevalent. Professional golf tournaments are only concerned with identifying one single winner. For every other position, from 2nd place all the way down to the last player who made the cut, ties are allowed to stand. There's no operational or competitive reason to have players continue to play golf just to determine who really finished 22nd and who finished 23rd. The only time players are sent back onto the course to break a tie is when the championship itself is on the line.
The Big Exception: Playoffs for the Win
While you might see a T2 all the way down the leaderboard, you will almost never see "T1" on the final results of a tournament. That's because if two or more golfers are tied for the lead after 72 holes, they enter a playoff to determine a single champion.
The format of the playoff can vary between tournaments, with two main types being most common:
Sudden-Death Playoff
This is the format used for the vast majority of regular PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour events. It's exactly as dramatic as it sounds. The tied players go back to a designated hole (often the 18th) and play it again. Whoever gets the lowest score on that single hole wins the tournament. If they both make par, for instance, they'll play the hole again (or move to another designated playoff hole) until one player scores lower than the other. This format delivers instant, high-stakes drama for fans.
Aggregate Score Playoff
Some major championships use an aggregate score format to create a larger, more complete test. Instead of playing one hole at a time, the tied players will play a set number of predetermined holes (usually two, three, or four). The player with the lowest combined score over those playoff holes is declared the winner.
The PGA Championship: Uses a 3-hole aggregate playoff.
The Open Championship: Uses a 4-hole aggregate playoff.
The U.S. Open: Recently switched to a 2-hole aggregate playoff.
If the players are still tied after the aggregate holes, the playoff then switches to a sudden-death format until a winner is decided. No matter the format, the goal is the same: to find a single champion and eliminate the tie for first place.
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This is where things get interesting and where the "T" has a direct financial consequence for the players. When players tie, they don't just split the prize money for a single position. Instead, the prize money for all the positions encompassed by the tie is pooled together and then divided equally among the tied players.
It sounds complicated, but a simple example makes it clear.
Prize Money Distribution in a Tie
Imagine two players, Jordan and Rickie, both finish T22. Let’s look at the hypothetical prize money for the spots around them:
21st place: $110,000
22nd place: $100,000
23rd place: $94,000
24th place: $88,000
To calculate their payout, we take the money for the two positions they are occupying (22nd and 23rd), add it together, and then divide by the number of players in the tie (two).
Calculation: ($100,000 + $94,000) / 2 = $97,000
So, both Jordan and Rickie would walk away with $97,000 each. This method ensures that the portion of the tournament purse designated for those positions is distributed fairly among the finishers.
The same logic applies to larger ties. If five players finished T22, you would add the prize money for positions 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26, then divide that total sum by five.
Sharing FedExCup and World Ranking Points
Official points for season-long races like the FedExCup and for the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) work the exact same way. The points available for all spots covered by the tie are added together and averaged out among the players. This is why you will often see players awarded fractional points, like 18.35, from a tournament.
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The "T" is just one of many abbreviations you'll see. Here’s a quick-glance guide to some other common terms:
E: Signifies a score of Even Par. The player's score is 0.
-: A minus sign before a number indicates a score that is under par (e.g., -6 is six shots under par).
Thru: This tells you how many holes a player has completed in their current round. "Thru 16" means they have finished the 16th hole and are heading to the 17th.
F: Stands for Finished. The player has completed all 18 holes of their round for the day.
Cut: After the first two rounds (36 holes), the tournament field is "cut" to the top players (usually the top 65 and ties). Those who don't make the cut are sent home and do not play on the weekend.
WD: Means the player Withdrew from the event, usually due to injury or a personal reason.
DQ: Signifies that a player was Disqualified for a major rule breach.
Final Thoughts
Understanding that a "T" next to a golfer's name simply means they're tied is one of those small details that helps you follow the sport like a seasoned fan. Because playoffs are only used to determine a champion, these ties throughout the rest of the leaderboard are a normal and essential feature of how professional tournaments sort out rankings and distribute prize money.
Just as you gain confidence watching the pros by understanding their world, we want to help you gain that same clarity on the course. That’s why we created Caddie AI, it’s designed to bring a pro-level of strategic thinking to your game. If you're ever stuck between clubs, facing a tough lie, or just need a smart plan for the hole ahead, you can ask for instant guidance and get it right on your phone. We can help analyze the situation and recommend a simple, intelligent play, taking the doubt out of your decision so you can commit to every shot.
Spencer has been playing golf since he was a kid and has spent a lifetime chasing improvement. With over a decade of experience building successful tech products, he combined his love for golf and startups to create Caddie AI - the world's best AI golf app. Giving everyone an expert level coach in your pocket, available 24/7. Caddie's mission is simple: make world-class golf advice accessible to everyone, anytime.
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