What Is the Cut at The Masters?
But which players get to continue — just who makes the cut at The Masters? That is determined by the Masters cut rule and the scores in each specific Masters Tournament.
This is the Masters cut rule:
- Following the completion of the second round, the cut is implemented.
- The golfers who finished the second round in the Top 50 on the leaderboard — including all those tied for 50th place — make the cut and continue on to the third and fourth rounds.
- All golfers who finished the second round in 51st place and lower are cut from the field.
How Many Players Make the Cut at The Masters?
We know from the cut rule above that a minimum of 50 golfers make the cut at The Masters. The specific number of golfers varies from year to year because there might be any number of golfers tied for 50th place.If there are no ties after two rounds for 50th place, then exactly 50 players make the cut. If five golfers are tied for 50th place, then 55 players make the cut. If 20 golfers (unlikely, but possible) are tied for 50th place after two rounds, then 70 players make the cut.
The Masters used to use the 10-stroke rule: Everyone within 10 strokes of the lead makes the cut. If a Masters field was tightly bunched in scoring, the 10-stroke rule opened the door for more golfers to make the cut. However, beginning with the 2020 Masters, the tournament stopped using the 10-stroke rule.
Prior to 2020, the cut rule was Top 50 plus ties, plus those within 10 strokes of the lead, which was first implemented beginning with the 2014 Masters. And before 2014, the cut rule was only Top 44 plus ties, along with the 10-stroke rule.
Related articles:
