Rocco Mediate was defeated by Tiger Woods at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, as the pair played out a major championship battle for the ages in an 18-hole playoff

Former PGA Tour star Rocco Mediate believes all major championships should end with an 18-hole playoff if there is a tie at the top, just as his 2008 battle with Tiger Woods did at the U.S. Open.

Mediate more than played his part in a major clash for the ages at Torrey Pines, after the tournament was sent into Monday after he tied with Woods at the top following 72 holes. The champion would be decided via an 18-hole playoff, and remarkably the pair were still tied after a fifth round.

Sadly for Mediate, it was Woods who prevailed in a sudden death format, as arguably golf’s greatest ever player won the 14th of his 15 major championships and his third U.S. Open title.

Now, the 18-hole playoffs have been scrapped in all four majors, with the U.S. Open adopting a two-hole aggregate stand-off in 2018. Mediate however believes a fifth round of golf is required on the biggest stage. “The 18-hole playoffs are over. Which is ridiculous,” he said per Golfweek.

“Every major should be an 18-hole playoff. And if you tie, it should be 18 more. It’s a major. It’s not a normal event.” At golf’s most illustrious event in the Masters, Augusta National bosses originally adopted a huge 36-hole playoff, before then moving to 18 holes.

Since 1976 however the opening major of the year uses a one-hole sudden-death playoff to settle ties at the top, something Mediate is clearly not a fan of. “Sudden death at Augusta National? What? The Masters, we’re just going to have one hole?” Mediate went on to add.

“100 percent serious. 100 percent serious,” he continued. “Oh, but TV’. I don’t care about TV. I want the trophy.” The USGA’s decision to scrap their 18-hole playoffs ended a 117-year tradition at the U.S. Open, and bosses at the time claimed this had to do with ensuring tournaments came to an end on Sunday.

Former USGA chief Mike Davis said in 2018: “We know how important it is to everyone in the golf world to see play conclude on the Sunday of a major championship and to award the trophy to the champion. After receiving input from a variety of constituents, including players, fans, volunteers, officials, and our broadcast partners, it clearly came across as something that everyone valued and would benefit from.

“There is no right or wrong way to determine a winner in stroke play, but we’ve seen over the years how the aggregate playoff has served us well in both the U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open. Two holes will allow a player to recover from any single mistake, and at the same time, provide a memorable, and perhaps dramatic, experience for all involved.”