What Does the T Stand for in Golf Scores?

Seeing a 'T' next to a name on a golf leaderboard is incredibly common, and the answer to what it means is refreshingly simple. That 'T' just stands for Tied. This article won't just give you that one-word answer, though. We’ll break down exactly what a tie means - from the high-stakes playoffs on the PGA Tour to how ties are settled at your local club competition - and even cover other symbols you’ll see on a golf scorecard.

The Simple Answer: T Stands for Tied

First things first, let's get it out of the way. When you see a "T" followed by a number on a leaderboard, it signifies that two or more golfers are tied for that position. For example, if you see:

• T4. Justin Thomas -8
• T4. Collin Morikawa -8
• T4. Jon Rahm -8

It means all three players are currently in fourth place, each with a score of eight-under-par. It's not a penalty, a special designation, or anything complex. It’s purely a way of showing that multiple people are sharing the same rank with the same score.

You see this all the time in both professional and amateur tournaments for a simple reason: golf is a game of fine margins. With over 100 players competing over 72 holes, it’s statistically very likely that many of them will end up with the exact same total number of strokes. It’s part of what makes leaderboards so dynamic, as players constantly shuffle in and out of tied positions with every birdie and bogey.

How Ties Work in Professional Tournaments

While the "T" is a simple marker, what happens because of the tie can be quite dramatic, especially when it involves the top spot. The consequences of a tie depend entirely on which position we're talking about.

What Happens When Players are Tied for First?

If there’s one time a tie is never left as just a tie, it's for first place in a professional event. When two or more players complete the final round with the same low score, they enter a playoff to determine a single winner. This creates some of the most exciting moments in the sport. There are generally a couple of different playoff formats used.

• Sudden-Death Playoff: This is the most common format you'll see on the PGA Tour. All players who are tied for the lead head back to a predetermined hole (usually the 18th). They all play the hole, and anyone who gets the lowest score is the winner. If two or more players tie the hole, only those players advance to the next designated hole. They continue this process, hole by hole, until one person posts a lower score than the other(s) on a single hole. The tense, do-or-die nature of a sudden-death playoff makes for fantastic television. The Masters and the PGA Championship both use this exciting format.
• Aggregate Score Playoff: A bit less common today, but still used in some major championships, this format has the tied players compete over a set number of extra holes (typically two to four). The player with the lowest combined score over those extra holes is declared the winner. If they're still tied after the aggregate holes, it then usually switches to a sudden-death format. The Open Championship uses a four-hole aggregate playoff, while the U.S. Open uses a two-hole aggregate playoff. This format tests a player's endurance and consistency over a short, high-pressure stretch rather than on a single shot.

What About Ties for Other Positions?

For any position other than first, a tie is almost always left as a tie. There are no playoffs to determine who gets sole possession of second, tenth, or 35th place. However, the tie still has significant financial implications. The prize money for the tied positions is simply pooled and distributed evenly among the players.

Let's use an easy example. Imagine a tournament where:

• 2nd place pays $400,000
• 3rd place pays $300,000

If two players tie for second place (T2), they don’t both get $400,000. Instead, you add the prize money for 2nd and 3rd place together and divide it by the number of tied players.

Calculation: ($400,000 + $300,000) / 2 players = $350,000 per player.

This same principle applies to tour ranking points, like FedExCup points or Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The points allocated for the tied positions are summed up and distributed evenly, ensuring a fair outcome for all players involved.

The "T" in Your Own Golf Game

You don't have to be a tour pro to encounter ties. They happen every weekend in casual money games and organized club events. How they are handled, however, can be quite different.

Casual Rounds and Club Competitions

In a friendly Nassau bet or a skins game with your buddies, a tied hole usually results in a "push." This means no money is exchanged for that hole, and the bet either carries over, increasing the value of the next hole, or is just voided. It’s a low-stakes way to handle a tie.

However, when you're playing in a more formal club competition - like a monthly medal, stroke play qualifier, or the club championship - there needs to be a clear a way to separate players with the same score. Since you can’t get dozens of amateur golfers to stick around for a sudden-death playoff, most clubs use a method called a "card-off" or "countback."

How a Card-Off (or Countback) Works

A card-off is a pre-determined, standardized method for breaking a tie using the players' existing scorecards. It avoids the need for extra golf. The goal is to reward the player who finished stronger. While the exact rules can vary slightly from club to club, the most common USGA-recommended procedure works like this:

1. Back Nine Score: The primary tie-breaker is the total score on the back nine (holes 10-18). The player with the lower back-nine score wins.
2. Last Six Holes: If the back-nine scores are still the same, you then compare the scores on the last six holes (holes 13-18). The lower score wins.
3. Last Three Holes: If they are still tied, the comparison moves to the total score on the last three holes played (holes 16-18).
4. Last Hole: And if, by some miracle, the players are still tied, the final tie-breaker is the score on the 18th hole. The player who scored better on the final hole wins. If they are still tied after that, the process continues backward from the 17th hole.

This systematic method is a fair and efficient way to crown a winner without needing extra holes. If you're playing in a club event, it's always smart to ask ahead of time what the tie-breaking procedure is.

Beyond the 'T': Understanding Other Leaderboard Symbols

The "T" is just one of many symbols and letters you'll see on a golf leaderboard or on a TV broadcast graphic. Understanding them will give you a fuller picture of what's happening in a tournament.

• - (Minus Sign): The most glorious symbol to have next to your name. This indicates a player is under par. A score of -7 means they are seven strokes under the total par for the holes played.
• E (Even Par): This means the player's score is exactly even with the par for the course. If the par for 18 holes is 72, their score is 72. It’s the neutral-ground of golf scoring.
• CUT: When you see "CUT" next to a player's name after two rounds, it means they did not score well enough to "make the cut." In most 72-hole professional tournaments, the field is reduced after 36 holes, with only the top portion of players (e.g., top 65 and ties) advancing to play on the weekend.
• WD (Withdrawn): This stands for Withdrawn. The player started the tournament but had to pull out before completing it, usually due to injury, illness, or a personal reason.
• DQ (Disqualified): The dreaded DQ means the player was Disqualified for a serious rules infraction. The most common cause is signing an incorrect scorecard (with a lower score than what was actually shot on a hole), but it can also be for other breaches of the rules of golf.
• (a): An "(a)" written beside a player’s name indicates that they are an amateur. Amateurs compete for the trophy and the glory but are not eligible to receive any prize money.
• Circles &, Squares: You’ll frequently see these on broadcast graphics for a player's hole-by-hole score. A red circle represents a birdie (1-under par), while an open circle often represents an eagle (2-under par). Conversely, a blue or black square usually means a bogey (1-over par), and a double square often represents a double bogey (2-over par) or worse.

Final Thoughts

The ‘T’ on a golf leaderboard simply stands for tied, an indicator that multiple golfers share a score and a rank. What unfolds from that tie can range from a multimillion-dollar professional playoff to a "countback" on your scorecard at the local club, but learning its meaning is a great step in better understanding the language of the game.

And when you run into any question on the course - from interpreting a specific ruling to getting the right strategy for a tough hole - that's exactly what I'm here for. With Caddie AI, you can get instant answers and on-demand professional guidance, so you can stop guessing and start playing with more on-course confidence.