How to Determine the Cut Line in Golf

Ever watch a professional golf tournament on a Friday and wonder which of your favorite players will get to play the weekend? That all comes down to the cut line, the invisible yet powerfully decisive score that separates who plays for a paycheck from who goes home early. This article breaks down exactly how the cut line works, the different rules used across major tours, and how you can learn to predict it like a seasoned analyst while you watch.

What Exactly Is the Cut Line in Golf?

In simple terms, the cut line is a scoring threshold that shrinks the field after the first two rounds of a multi-day stroke-play tournament. Professional events typically start with a large field of players, often 144 or 156. Playing with that many people for four full days isn't practical for logistics or television broadcasts. The cut solves this problem.

After 36 holes (usually played on Thursday and Friday), a cut is made. Every player whose score is at or better than the cut line score has “made the cut” and gets to compete in the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday. Players with a score worse than the cut line are “cut from the field” and their tournament is over. For them, this means no weekend play and, more importantly, no tournament winnings. Making the cut is the first major hurdle for any professional golfer in a standard event - it’s the difference between earning a paycheck and leaving with only expenses.

The Standard PGA Tour Cut Rule: Top 65 and Ties

For most regular-season events on the PGA Tour, the rule is straightforward and has become the industry standard. After the completion of 36 holes, the field is cut to the Top 65 players and any players tied with the 65th-place score.

Let's walk through an example:

• After Friday's round, the leaderboard is sorted from the lowest score to the highest.
• We look down the leaderboard to see who is in 65th place. Let's say the player in 65th is at a score of 1-under par.
• We then see that ten other players are also at 1-under par.
• Under the "Top 65 and ties" rule, all eleven of those players (the one in 65th and the ten tied with him) make the cut.
• The player in 76th place, currently at Even par, is one shot worse than the cut line. He and everyone else with a score of Even par or higher will miss the cut.

This "and ties" stipulation is why you'll often see more than exactly 65 players make the cut. It's not uncommon for weekend fields to have 70-80 players, especially if the scoring is bunched up around a particular number.

Beyond the Standard: Variations in Cut Rules

While "Top 65 and ties" is the most common format, different tournaments, especially the major championships, have their own distinct rules that make their cuts even more dramatic and harder to predict.

Cut Rules at the Major Championships

Making the cut at a major is a significant achievement and a huge career stepping stone. The prestige is higher, the courses are tougher, and the cut rules are often more stringent.

• The Masters: The most exclusive cut in golf. Only the Top 50 players and ties advance to the weekend at Augusta National. With a much smaller starting field (usually 85-95 players), this unforgiving rule means nearly half the field goes home.
• PGA Championship: This major uses a slightly more generous rule, with the Top 70 players and ties making the cut.
• U.S. Open: Known for its brutal course setups and difficult scoring, the U.S. Open cuts the field to the Top 60 players and ties. Surviving the cut here is a recognized badge of honor.
• The Open Championship: The R&A, which governs The Open (often called the British Open), also uses a Top 70 and ties rule for its cut.

No-Cut & Special Events

It's also worth noting that some tournaments don't have a cut at all. These are typically events with smaller, more elite fields where all participants are guaranteed to play all four rounds.

Examples include:

• The Sentry & BMW Championship: These are limited-field events for tournament winners from the previous season (The Sentry) or top players in the FedEx Cup Playoffs (BMW).
• WGC (World Golf Championships) Events: These events bring together the top players from around the globe and historically have not featured a cut.
• The Tour Championship: The finale of the FedEx Cup Playoffs features only the top 30 players, who all play the full four rounds.

How to Project the Cut Line During a Tournament

For fans, one of the most exciting parts of watching golf on Friday is the "cut sweat" - predicting where that final number will land. It’s part art, part science. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making an educated guess as you watch.

Step 1: Check the Pre-Tournament Context

Even before the first ball is in the air, you can have a general idea. Ask yourself:

• What is the course's reputation? Is it a historically difficult track known for penal rough and fast greens (like Muirfield Village or Torrey Pines)? Expect a higher cut line, somewhere around Even or over par. Is it a "birdie-fest" resort course (like those used for The American Express)? The cut line could be as low as -4 or -5.
• What are the expected weather conditions? High winds or rain almost always lead to higher scores and thus a higher (easier to reach) cut line.

Step 2: Watch How the Line Behaves on Thursday

On Thursday, when you check the live leaderboard, you’ll see a "projected cut line." In the early morning, this number is extremely volatile and often looks very low. Why? Because the early starters who are playing well get their low scores posted first, temporarily skewing the projection.

A good rule of thumb for Thursday is to expect the projected cut line to drift higher throughout the day. A line that starts at -3 in the morning might finish the day at -1 as more players complete their rounds and the scores balance out.

Step 3: Analyze the Scoring Conditions on Friday

Friday is when the real analysis begins. The most important factor influencing the cut line's movement is the scoring conditions. Pay close attention to the broadcast and what the announcers are saying.

• Are conditions getting tougher? If the wind picks up in the afternoon, or the sun bakes out the greens and makes them firmer, scores will go up. A player who finished in the morning at Even par might feel unsafe but could end up making the cut comfortably as the afternoon wave struggles.
• Are conditions getting easier? If the wind dies down and greens are soft from overnight rain, players in the afternoon have a green light to make birdies. A line that seems stable at -1 could drop to -2.

Step 4: Use the "Number on the Board" Method

By around noon local time on Friday, most of the morning wave of players has finished. This is the perfect time to get a strong read on the line.

1. Look at the leaderboard on your favorite app or website.
2. Scroll down until you find the line that marks 65th place. Note that score. Let's say it's -2.
3. Now, look at how many players are right on that number or just outside it (at -1 or Even par).
4. Finally, factor in the conditions from Step 3. If it’s windy, you can reasonably predict there's a good chance sliders (scores getting worse) will outnumber climbers (scores getting better). In this scenario, the line at -2 will very likely drift out to -1 by the end of the day. If conditions are calm, that line at -2 might just hold firm.

Many experienced viewers live by this adage: The cut line on Friday almost always moves one stroke *weaker* (a higher score) from midday to the close of play. While not a guarantee, it's a remarkably reliable starting point for your prediction.

The Immense Pressure of the Cut Line

Never forget the human element. For tour professionals not at the very top of the game, making the cut is everything. It represents financial stability, world ranking points, and the chance to have a great weekend that could change a season.

Watching a player on Friday afternoon grind over a 6-foot par putt on their 36th hole is one of golf’s most compelling dramas. He knows that holing it might be the difference between a $20,000 check and going home empty-handed after a week of expenses. When you see a player staring at the leaderboard, then at his ball, then over at his caddie, you’re watching a person under immense pressure. Understanding how the cut line works and how it’s moving only adds to that compelling theater and connects you more deeply to the competition.

Final Thoughts

Determining the golf cut line comes down to knowing the specific event’s rules and observing how the course is playing in real-time. By combining the base rule - like Top 65 and ties - with an analysis of course difficulty and changing weather, you can stop guessing and start making accurate projections about who will be playing on the weekend.

While chasing the cut line is the primary drama in professional golf, managing your own game brings its own pressure. On those critical shots that can save a score, having a solid plan is indispensable. This is exactly where we designed Caddie AI to help, you can snap a photo of a tough lie or ask for a smart strategy on a difficult hole. We give you that expert second opinion so you can commit to your shot with confidence, avoid the big mistakes, and make your own game feel less like a grind and more like a win.