What Is the Cut in Golf? How It Works on the PGA Tour

Every Thursday and Friday during a PGA Tour event, one question dominates conversation among fans and players alike: who will make the cut? The cut is one of professional golf's most dramatic moments, deciding which players continue competing for the weekend and which pack their bags early.

Understanding how the cut works is essential for following tournament golf, whether you are watching your first event or tracking every leaderboard movement on a busy Saturday afternoon.

What Is the Cut?

The cut is a score threshold applied after a set number of rounds - typically two - that determines which players continue in a tournament and which are eliminated. Players whose scores fall on or below the cut line advance to the weekend rounds. Everyone else is out.

In a standard PGA Tour event in 2026, the field starts with 144 players on Thursday morning. The majors run bigger: the PGA Championship and The Open each start with 156. By Friday evening, roughly half the field will have missed the cut and will not play on Saturday or Sunday.

The cut exists for practical reasons: fitting 150 players into weekend tee times would be impossible, and it raises the competitive stakes by ensuring only the best performers from the opening rounds continue.

How the PGA Tour Cut Line Works

The PGA Tour's policy board approved the current cut rule in 2019, and it took effect from the 2019-20 season. Before that, the cut was the top 70 and ties, with a secondary cut on top.

The Top 65 and Ties Rule

After 36 holes (two rounds), the cut falls at the score that includes the top 65 players and anyone tied at that position. In practice, this means:

• The PGA Tour ranks all players by their 36-hole total
• The score at 65th place becomes the cut line
• Every player at that score or better makes the cut, even if ties push the weekend field above 65

For example, if the 65th-best score after two rounds is 2-under par, every player at -2 or better makes the cut. If 12 players are tied at -2, all 12 advance, and the weekend field goes past 65.

No Secondary Cut

From 2008 until the rule change in 2019, the PGA Tour used a secondary cut that trimmed the field again after 54 holes whenever 78 or more players made the 36-hole cut. Players caught by it were listed as MDF, made cut, did not finish. That rule is gone. Once you make the 36-hole cut, you are guaranteed to play all four rounds.

Signature Events and Elevated Fields

The PGA Tour's Signature Events run with smaller, elite fields, with a minimum of 72 players. Eight were played in 2026. Five had no cut at all, so every player in the field played all four rounds. The three player-hosted events, the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament, cut to the top 50 and ties plus anyone within 10 shots of the lead.

What Happens When You Miss the Cut

Missing the cut - often abbreviated as "MC" on leaderboards - has real consequences for professional golfers:

Financial Impact

At a regular PGA Tour event, players who miss the cut earn no prize money from that tournament. The majors are the exception. They pay professionals who miss the cut a small amount, $25,000 a head at the 2026 Masters, a fraction of what the weekend pays.

Ranking Points

A missed cut does a player no favours in the world ranking points race either. There is no weekend finish to build on.

FedExCup Points

Missing the cut also means zero FedExCup points. Points go to players who earn official money, and a missed cut earns none, which hurts a player's season-long standings and playoff hopes.

What Players Do Next

Players who miss the cut typically leave the tournament venue and may enter a Monday qualifier or prepare for the following week's event. For some, a missed cut means heading to the practice range to work on whatever went wrong.

The Projected Cut Line

During rounds one and two, broadcasts and scoring apps display a "projected cut" - an estimate of where the cut line will fall based on current scores and conditions.

How It Is Calculated

The projected cut updates continuously as players complete holes. It takes the current leaderboard, factors in players still on the course, and estimates the likely 65th-place score. Early on Thursday, projections are unreliable. By Friday afternoon, they become increasingly accurate.

Why It Matters for Viewers

The projected cut creates compelling drama for fans:

• Bubble players: Those hovering right around the projected line face enormous pressure on every shot
• Friday afternoon tension: Players finishing late on Friday know exactly what score they need
• Weather impact: Changing conditions (wind picking up, rain softening greens) can shift the projected cut mid-round

Cuts at Major Championships

Each of golf's four major championships applies its own cut rules, which differ from standard PGA Tour events:

The Masters

The Masters at Augusta National cuts to the top 50 players and ties after 36 holes. It used to add anyone within 10 strokes of the lead, but that rule was dropped in 2020.

The PGA Championship

The PGA Championship cuts its 156-player field to the top 70 and ties after 36 holes, with no 10-shot rule.

The U.S. Open

The U.S. Open cuts to the top 60 players and ties after 36 holes. It had a 10-shot rule until 2012, when it was dropped to keep weekend fields from swelling.

The Open Championship

The Open cuts its 156-player field to the top 70 and ties, with no 10-shot rule. That makes it and the PGA Championship the most generous cuts among the majors.

Cuts on Other Professional Tours

The cut is not unique to the PGA Tour. Other professional circuits apply their own variations:

DP World Tour

The DP World Tour typically uses a top-65-and-ties cut after 36 holes, though some co-sanctioned events may have different rules.

LIV Golf

LIV Golf has no cut. Since 2026 its events have 57-player fields over 72 holes, and every player competes in all four rounds.

Champions Tour

Most events on the Champions Tour, now PGA Tour Champions, have no cut at all. They are 54-hole events. Of its five majors, the Senior PGA Championship, the U.S. Senior Open and the Senior Open have a 36-hole cut; the other two do not.

LPGA Tour

The LPGA Tour has cut to the top 65 and ties after 36 holes since the 2023 season.

Famous Cut Stories in Golf History

The cut has produced some of golf's most memorable moments and heartbreaking stories:

Tiger Woods and the Masters Cut Streak

Tiger Woods made his 24th consecutive cut at the Masters in 2024, breaking the record he had shared with Fred Couples and Gary Player at 23. He had never missed a cut at Augusta as a professional.

Phil Mickelson's Major Misses

Even Phil Mickelson, a multiple major champion, has gone home on a Friday, proof that no player is immune to a difficult 36 holes.

The "10-Shot Rule" at Augusta

For years the Masters let anyone within 10 shots of the lead play the weekend, whatever their position, a lifeline for the occasional player outside the top 50. Augusta dropped the rule in 2020, though a version of it lives on at the PGA Tour's three player-hosted Signature Events.

How to Track the Cut Line Live

Modern scoring technology makes following the cut line easier than ever:

• Leaderboard apps display the projected cut in real time throughout rounds one and two
• Broadcast graphics highlight players near the bubble
• Colour coding on leaderboards often distinguishes players above and below the projected line

GolfMode is not out yet; for now there is a waitlist. Following the cut line is exactly the kind of thing it is being built for. For more on following tournament action, see our guide on how to follow golfers live.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many players make the cut on the PGA Tour?

The top 65 players and ties after 36 holes make the cut in standard PGA Tour events. The weekend field is never smaller than 65; how much bigger depends on how many players are tied at the cut line.

What does "MC" mean on a golf leaderboard?

MC stands for "missed cut." It indicates that a player did not achieve a low enough score after 36 holes to continue into the weekend rounds.

Do players who miss the cut get paid?

Not at regular PGA Tour events, where a missed cut pays nothing. The four majors do pay professionals who miss the cut a small amount, $25,000 at the 2026 Masters. Amateurs get nothing either way.

What is the projected cut in golf?

The projected cut is a real-time estimate of where the cut line will fall, based on current scores and players still on the course. It becomes more accurate as the second round progresses and is displayed on broadcasts and scoring apps.

Can a player miss the cut and still win money?

At the majors, yes: all four pay professionals who miss the cut. No regular PGA Tour event does.

What happens if there is a tie at the cut line?

All players tied at the cut line make the cut. If 15 players are tied at the 65th-place score, all 15 advance to the weekend, even though this exceeds the 65-player target.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the cut in professional golf?

The cut is a score threshold applied after two rounds of a tournament that decides which players continue into the weekend and which are eliminated. Everyone at or below the cut line plays rounds three and four; everyone above it is out.

How does the PGA Tour cut rule work?

Since the 2019-20 season the PGA Tour has cut to the top 65 and ties after 36 holes. The cut falls at the 65th-best score, and everyone tied at that score also plays the weekend. There is no secondary cut after round three.

What happens if a golfer misses the cut?

At a regular PGA Tour event, a player who misses the cut earns no prize money and no FedExCup points. The four majors are the exception on money: professionals who miss the cut there still receive a small payment.

Do all PGA Tour events have a cut?

No. Signature Events have fields of at least 72 players, and five of the eight played in 2026 had no cut. The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Tournament cut to the top 50 and ties, plus anyone within 10 shots of the lead.

What is the projected cut line?

It is the live estimate of where the cut line will land, shown on broadcasts and scoring apps during rounds one and two. Early on Thursday it means little. By late Friday it firms up as the last groups finish.