36-Hole Cut
A 36-hole cut in golf is the point after two rounds when a tournament trims its field, sending home the players whose scores fall short of a set mark and keeping the rest for the final two rounds.
What is a 36-hole cut?
Most professional golf tournaments run over four rounds, and the 36-hole cut is the moment halfway through when the field gets smaller. After every player has completed two rounds of 18 holes each, so 36 in total, the organizers rank everyone by combined score and draw a line. Players at or below that line move on to the weekend. Players above it are done for the week.
The cut usually falls on Friday evening, since the first two rounds are played Thursday and Friday. It exists because most events begin with a large field, often 120 to 156 players, and there is no practical way to fit everyone into weekend tee times. Cutting the field also sharpens the competition, leaving only the golfers with a realistic shot at winning or finishing high.
The exact number who survive depends on the tour or tournament, but the principle is the same everywhere: two rounds decide who stays. On golf leaderboards, a player who fails to make it is marked “MC” for missed cut.
Why tournaments make a cut after 36 holes
Two rounds give organizers enough information to know which players are out of contention. Golf News Net’s Ryan Ballengee describes the reasoning as field control: with well over 100 players teeing off, groups play in threesomes off the first and tenth tees, and rounds move slowly. By the halfway mark, it is clear who is unlikely to contend, so trimming the field keeps the weekend manageable and the pace quicker.
There is a competitive angle too. A smaller weekend field means the leaders are not stuck behind players with no chance of winning. It also changes how golfers are paired: rounds one and two are played in threes, while the reduced weekend field is usually paired in twos.
How the 36-hole cut line is determined
The cut line is not a fixed score set in advance. It is whatever score lands at the cut-off position once the field is ranked. If a tour cuts to the top 65 and ties, scorers sort the leaderboard after 36 holes and find the score held by the player in 65th place. That number becomes the line, and everyone at it or better plays on.
The phrase “and ties” matters. If fifteen players are level with the golfer in 65th, all fifteen advance, which is why the weekend field often runs to 70, 75, or even 80. Because the line is set by player count rather than a round number, it drifts with the scoring. An easy course in calm weather might produce a cut line under par, while a brutal setup can push it several shots over par. For a fuller breakdown of how that number moves, see our guide to the cut line.
36-hole cut rules by tour and major
Every tour sets its own cut, usually based on how many players start the event. The numbers below are the standard rules, though individual tournaments occasionally differ.
| Tour or event | 36-hole cut |
|---|---|
| PGA Tour (regular full-field) | Top 65 and ties |
| PGA Tour Signature Events (with a cut) | Top 50 and ties |
| DP World Tour | Top 65 and ties |
| LPGA Tour | Top 70 and ties |
| PGA Tour Champions | Top 60 and ties |
| The Masters | Top 50 and ties |
| PGA Championship | Top 70 and ties |
| U.S. Open | Top 60 and ties |
| The Open Championship | Top 70 and ties |
| LIV Golf | No cut |
The Masters has the tightest cut of the four majors. It takes only the top 50 and ties, a mark Augusta settled on after dropping its long-standing 10-shot rule in 2020. The PGA Championship and The Open sit at the other end, both keeping the top 70 and ties, the most generous lines in the majors. LIV Golf goes further and skips the halfway cut altogether. Its 54-hole events use 48-player fields, so everyone plays every round.
36-hole cut vs. the secondary cut
Readers sometimes confuse the 36-hole cut with a second cut that the PGA Tour once used. They are not the same thing. The 36-hole cut is the standard halfway cut that every full-field event still has. The secondary cut, also called the 54-hole cut, was an extra trim after the third round.
Introduced in 2008, the secondary cut kicked in when 78 or more players survived the first cut. The tour used it to stop the weekend field from ballooning. Players who fell on the wrong side of it were labeled MDF, short for “made cut, did not finish.” They still collected prize money and FedExCup points, yet they missed the final round. The tour scrapped the secondary cut in 2019, after lowering the standard cut from the top 70 to the top 65, including ties. Now, clearing the 36-hole cut means playing all four rounds, and MDF only appears in older results.
| Feature | 36-hole cut | Secondary (54-hole) cut |
|---|---|---|
| When it happens | After two rounds | After three rounds |
| Status | Standard, still in use | Abolished in 2019 |
| When it applied | Every full-field event | Only when 78+ made the first cut |
| Missing it means | Out for the weekend (MC) | Play three rounds, sit out the fourth (MDF) |
What happens to players who miss the 36-hole cut
Missing the cut is costly. A player who does not make the weekend earns no prize money from that tournament in almost all professional events, and the missed cut also wipes out any FedExCup and Official World Golf Ranking points. For players outside the game’s elite, a run of missed cuts can threaten a tour card.
The majors are the main exception. Because qualifying for a major is an achievement in itself, all four pay something to players who miss the cut. The PGA Championship gave missed-cut players $4,000 in 2026, and the U.S. Open pays a $10,000 check. As USGA chief executive Mike Whan explained in 2024, the organization believes making the field at the U.S. Open is its own reward. Players who miss usually leave the venue and turn their attention to the following week, sometimes by way of a Monday qualifier.
Related Golf Terms
- Putts per green in regulation — Average putts taken on greens reached in regulation.
- Caddie master — The staffer who manages a club’s caddie program and assignments.
- Par 5 scoring average — A player’s average score on par-5 holes.
- Driving distance average — A player’s average measured tee-shot distance.
- Birdie-or-better percentage — The share of holes played in birdie or better.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many rounds is a 36-hole cut?
Two. Each round is 18 holes, so 36 holes means the cut happens once every player has finished their first two rounds, normally on Friday.
Does every golf tournament have a 36-hole cut?
No. Most full-field stroke-play events do, but the PGA Tour’s no-cut Signature Events, the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and LIV Golf events let the whole field play every round.
Can more than 65 players make a top-65 cut?
Yes. The “and ties” rule means anyone level with the player in 65th place also advances, so weekend fields often reach 70 to 80 players.
Is the 36-hole cut the same as the cut line?
They are closely linked. The 36-hole cut is the event, the moment the field is reduced. The cut line is the actual score that decides who stays.
Do amateurs count toward the cut?
Yes. Amateurs in a professional event are ranked alongside the pros and can make or miss the cut like anyone else, though they cannot collect prize money.
Sources
- PGA Tour. “2026 PGA Championship: What is the cut at Aronimink Golf Club?” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2026/05/12/what-is-the-cut-line-2026-pga-championship-major-aronimink-golf-club - Golf News Net (Ryan Ballengee). “What is a cut in golf, and why do golf tournaments have them?” Accessed August 2026.
https://thegolfnewsnet.com/ryan_ballengee/2021/05/14/what-is-a-cut-in-golf-and-why-do-golf-tournaments-have-them-122820/ - Golf News Net (Ryan Ballengee). “What is the PGA Tour cut rule, and how is the cut line determined?” Accessed August 2026.
https://thegolfnewsnet.com/ryan_ballengee/2026/04/10/what-is-pga-tour-cut-rule-2025-how-cut-line-determined-102941/ - Golf Monthly (Elliott Heath). “What Is The PGA Tour’s Cut Rule?” Includes USGA chief executive Mike Whan’s 2024 remarks on U.S. Open missed-cut pay. Accessed August 2026.
https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/what-is-the-pga-tours-cut-rule - Golf Digest. “PGA Championship 2026: How they determine the 36-hole cut line at Aronimink.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/pga-championship-how-they-determine-the-36-hole-cut-pga-of-america - Golf Digest. “Masters 2026: How the 36-hole cut is determined at Augusta National.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/masters-how-the-36-hole-cut-is-determined-at-augusta-national - LiveAbout. “What Does MDF Stand for in Golf Scores?” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.liveabout.com/what-does-mdf-in-golf-scores-mean-1565771
