The Masters cut rules are fairly unique and differ from the regular cut rule we see on the PGA Tour.
Like on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, the second round at the Masters isn’t just about who is at the top of the leaderboard, but eyes are also fixed on who is fighting to play at the weekend nearer the bottom.
The question of how is the cut determined in golf is one of the most compelling things about a tournament. Whether it is Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods or Scottie Scheffler, their primary goal is to make the second half of the tournament.
There is even more wait given to making the cut at the Masters given the prestige of the event and the fact that it is the first major of the season. Once you’ve made the cut, you can then go on and win the tournament if you’re not cut too far adrift.
Masters cut rules
From its first staging in 1934 until 1956, the tournament was played without a cut, but this changed for the 1957 event.
Between 1957 and 1960, the top 40 players and ties as well as those within 10 shots of the lead would make the cut after two rounds.
This was later extended in 1961 to include the top 44 players and ties, and then altered once again in 2013 to include the top 50 and ties plus any players that finish round two within 10 shots of the leader.
This was changed in 2020 to the current Masters cut rules, when the ‘within 10 of the lead’ part of the rule was axed.
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What are the Masters cut rules?
Masters cut rules say that the top 50 players and ties on the leaderboard will qualify to play over the weekend.
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How is the cut determined in golf?
The cut rule for regular PGA Tour events sees the top 70 advance to the weekend with the score of the 70th-placed player being the score needed to make the cut.
Any player that is level with or above the 70th-placed player on the leaderboard makes the cut and plays the final two days of the tournament.
For some events on the PGA Tour in the 2025 season, there was no cut. The Sentry, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the RBC Heritage, the Truist Championship and the Travellers Championship won’t have a 36-hole cut. They are part of the Signature Event programme that was first introduced in the 2024 season.
On the DP World Tour, the general rule is the top 65 and ties make it to the weekend. On the Hotel Planner Tour, what used to be called the Challenge Tour, the top 60 and ties make the second two rounds.
In the LIV Golf League, every player plays all three rounds at each event because there is no cut to speak of.
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