Playoffs

The playoffs, postseason and/or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be either a single game, a series of games, or a tournament, and may use a single-elimination system or one of several other different playoff formats. Playoff, in regard to international fixtures, is to qualify or progress to the next round of a competition or tournament.

In team sports in the U.S. and Canada, the vast distances and consequent burdens on cross-country travel have led to regional divisions of teams. Generally, during the regular season, teams play more games in their division than outside it, but the league's best teams might not play against each other in the regular season. Therefore, in the postseason a playoff series is organized. Any group-winning team is eligible to participate, and as playoffs became more popular they were expanded to include second- or even lower-placed teams – the term "wild card" refers to these teams.

Donruss

Donruss, currently known as Panini America and owned by Panini Group, manufactures sports cards. The company started in the 1950s, producing confectionery, evolved into Donruss and started producing trading cards. During the 1960s and 1970s Donruss produced entertainment-themed trading cards. Its first sports theme cards were produced in 1965, when it created a series of racing cards sponsored by Hot Rod Magazine.

Its next series of sports products came in 1981, when it produced baseball and golf trading cards. It was one of three manufacturers to produce baseball cards from 1981 to 1987, along with Fleer and Topps; until Score entered the market in 1988, and Upper Deck in 1989. Since entering the trading card market, it has produced a variety of sports trading cards, including baseball, basketball, boxing, football, golf, hockey, racing and tennis; and has acquired a number of brand names.

Donruss produced baseball cards from 1981 to 1998, when then parent company Pinnacle Brands filed for bankruptcy. Baseball card production resumed in 2001, when then parent company Playoff Corporation acquired the rights to produce baseball cards. From 2007 to 2009, Donruss has released baseball card products featuring players that are no longer under MLB contract after MLB decided to limit licensing options in 2005.

Playoff (golf)

A playoff in the sport of golf is an extra hole, or holes, played when, at the completion of regulation play in a competition or tournament, there is a tie and it is desirable to determine an outright winner.

Playoffs are a common occurrence in professional tournaments when the players are readily available to participate at the completion of normal play. However in most amateur tournaments, and particularly in club competitions, that is not the case and other methods may be used to determine the winner, such as scorecard count back, whereby the player with the lowest cumulative score over the last 18, 9, 6, 3 or 1 hole(s) is declared the winner.

There are three types of playoff that are used in golf tournaments. They are a full 18-hole playoff, sudden death, and an aggregate playoff. The first is normally scheduled for the following day, whereas both the others are usually played directly after completion of the final round.

18-hole playoff

The 18-hole playoff is the oldest playoff format. The tied players return the next day to play another round of 18 holes, and the player with the lowest score is declared the winner. Should there still be a tie after the 18 holes, then sudden death is normally played.