How are ties broken?
Teams tied on score are split by countback (back 9, last 6, last 3, then the 18th) or by the hardest holes. Pick the tiebreaker in Settings › Scoring & leaderboard.
On this page
Pinli ranks every team the same way, live, as scores come in. Most ties never need you.
How are teams ranked?
- Lowest score to par wins.
- If tied, more holes played wins.
- If still tied, lowest total (gross) wins.
- If still tied, the tiebreaker decides.
Choose the tiebreaker
Open Settings › Scoring & leaderboard and pick a Tiebreaker:
- Countback (USGA): the default. Compares the last 9 holes, then the last 6, the last 3, then the 18th. The first total that differs decides. Works on any course.
- Hardest holes: compares the tied teams hole by hole, starting with the hardest (stroke index 1). The first hole where they differ decides. It’s only available once your course’s hole difficulty ranking has been entered. If it’s greyed out, contact us.
See how a tie was decided
On the Leaderboard, click any team’s score to par. How this position is decided shows the ranking steps and, for a tied team, each comparison until the one that split them. How ties work below the scores shows the same thing for the first tie on the board.
What if a tie can’t be broken?
If two teams match on every step, they share the position, shown as T3 for example. When that tie lands on a place that wins something, you choose the order when you confirm winners. See How do I lock scores, finalize flights and announce winners?
Common questions
We had a shotgun start. Does countback use the last holes each team played? No. Countback goes by hole number on the course, so “the last 9” is holes 10 to 18 for every team, wherever they started.
What happens when a tie falls on a flight’s cut line? When you finalize results, you can move each flight’s cut line up or down a team. Teams stay in finishing order.
Do no-shows count in the standings? No. Teams marked as no-shows are left out of the standings and flights, and never placed.