Oldest Golfer to Make the Cut in a Men's Major
The four professional majors are The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and British Open. All four have cuts after the first two rounds (first 36 holes), trimming the field so that only those in (roughly) the top-half continue on to the third and fourth rounds. A golfer who makes the cut gets to finish the tournament. (Keep in mind, though, that in the earliest days of The Masters, U.S. Open and British Opens there were no cuts, and the PGA Championship didn't have a cut until the late 1950s when it switched from match play to stroke play.)
Sam Snead is the oldest golfer ever to make the cut in a men's major championship. Snead was 67 years, 2 months and 7 days old when he made the cut in the 1979 PGA Championship.
Snead finished 42nd in the event, shooting 73-71-71-73 for an 8-over total of 288. It was the last time Snead completed a round in the PGA Championship. He entered two more times, in 1980 and 1981, but withdrew from the first round in both cases.
Snead's made cut in the 1979 PGA was 42 years after his tournament debut in the 1937 PGA Championship. He won this particular major three times, in 1942, 1949 and 1951.
Snead's PGA Championship performances in the 1970s, after turning 60, were remarkable. From 1972-74, Snead finished in the Top 10 at the PGA every year, at ages 60, 61 and 62, respectively. His finishes in those years were fourth, ninth and third. He missed the cut the following two years, made the cut and finished 54th in 1977 (age 65), did not enter in 1978, and had his swan song in 1979.
Snead set more age-related records on the PGA Tour in 1979: oldest to make the cut on tour (a record only broken in 2022) and youngest golfer to shoot his age in a PGA Tour tournament. Snead also holds the record as oldest golfer with a Top 10 finish on the PGA Tour.
