Made the Cut
Made the cut is a golf term for a player who has finished the first two rounds of a tournament with a low enough score to qualify for the final rounds. A player who misses the cut is eliminated and goes home before the weekend.
What does ‘made the cut’ mean?
Most professional tournaments run over four rounds, one per day from Thursday to Sunday. After the first two rounds, the field is trimmed. This is the cut. A player who made the cut posted a 36-hole score good enough to stay in, while missing it ends the tournament early, usually on Friday evening.
The cut exists because tournaments start with large fields, often 120 to 156 players. Playing all four days with that many golfers would be slow and hard to schedule, so the field is roughly halved for the weekend. On the PGA Tour, only players who make the cut earn prize money and FedExCup points, which is why a short putt on Friday to stay inside the line can carry as much tension as a putt to win on Sunday.
How the cut works
After Friday’s round, every player’s two-round total is ranked from lowest to highest. The tournament then applies its cut rule, which sets how many golfers advance. Most PGA Tour events use “top 65 and ties,” meaning everyone level with the player in 65th place also moves on, according to the PGA Tour.
That “and ties” wording is why more than 65 players usually reach the weekend. If ten golfers share the same score as the player in 65th, all of them stay, and the field might number 75. The score that ends up separating those who continue from those who leave is called the cutline.
The cutline is not fixed before play. It settles at whatever number matches the cut rule once scoring is done, and it can drift up or down through Friday as players post birdies and bogeys. Golf Compendium describes how a single bogey by the player sitting on the line can move the cutline a stroke in either direction.
Cut rules across golf’s major tours and championships
Every tour and championship sets its own cut rule, and those differences are part of what gives each event its character. The four men’s majors are either stricter or more generous than a standard week, and a growing number of elite events carry no cut at all.
| Event | Cut after 36 holes |
|---|---|
| Standard PGA Tour event | Top 65 and ties |
| The Players Championship | Top 65 and ties |
| The Masters | Top 50 and ties |
| US Open | Top 60 and ties |
| PGA Championship | Top 70 and ties |
| The Open Championship | Top 70 and ties |
| DP World Tour event | Top 65 and ties |
| LIV Golf event | No cut (54 holes, 48 players) |
| Tour Championship | No cut (top 30 qualify) |
The PGA Tour moved its standard cut from top 70 to top 65 and ties for the 2019-20 season, hoping to keep weekend fields nearer 70, as Golf News Net reported. The Masters is the tightest of the majors, partly because Augusta National invites a smaller field of under 100 players, so only the top 50 and ties advance, per Today’s Golfer. Several PGA Tour Signature Events and the FedEx Cup Playoffs finale have no 36-hole cut, so every qualifier plays all four rounds.
Made the cut vs. missed the cut
For a professional, the gap between making and missing the cut is mostly about money and standing. A made cut means an official finish with a share of the purse and, on the PGA Tour, FedExCup points. A missed cut, marked “MC” on the leaderboard, usually means none of that.
| Outcome | Plays the weekend? | Prize money (standard tour) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made the cut | Yes | Yes, based on finish | Yes |
| Missed the cut | No | No | No |
Standard PGA Tour events pay nothing to golfers who miss the cut. The majors work differently. At the 2025 Masters, every professional who missed the cut still collected $25,000, and the US Open paid $10,000. The PGA Championship gave missed-cut players $4,000, while The Open Championship used a sliding scale, according to Golf News Net.
Common misconceptions about the cut
The biggest one is that every tournament has a cut. Many limited-field events, most PGA Tour Signature Events, and every LIV Golf tournament let all players compete over every round.
Another is the old “10-shot rule.” The Masters once let any player within ten strokes of the lead survive the cut, and the US Open had a similar provision. Augusta National scrapped its version in 2020, and the US Open dropped its own back in 2012, so neither applies today.
MDF also causes confusion. It stands for “made cut, didn’t finish,” and it appears when more than 78 players make the 36-hole cut and a rare second cut after 54 holes trims the Sunday field, as LiveAbout explains. An MDF player still made the cut, still gets paid, and still earns points, which sets them apart from someone who missed it outright.
Finally, a made cut is not the same as contending. Half a field can play the weekend and still finish well behind the eventual winner.
Related Golf Terms
- Career grand slam — Winning each of the four majors at some point over a career.
- Playoff — Extra holes played to break a tie at the end of regulation.
- Grand slam — Winning all four professional major championships in a single year.
- Rules official — An on-course authority who interprets and applies the rules.
- Local rules — Course-specific rules supplementing the standard Rules of Golf.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the phrase “made the cut” come from?
It comes from golf, where a player “makes the cut” by matching or beating the score needed to avoid elimination after two rounds. The expression has since spread into everyday English for surviving any kind of selection.
How many players usually make the cut?
On the PGA Tour, roughly half the field. With a “top 65 and ties” rule, weekend fields often land between 65 and 80 players, depending on how many golfers share the cutline score.
Do golfers who miss the cut get paid?
At standard PGA Tour events, no. The majors are the exception and pay missed-cut professionals a set amount, such as $25,000 at the 2025 Masters. Amateurs never receive prize money.
What does MDF mean?
It stands for “made cut, didn’t finish.” The label marks a player who cleared the 36-hole cut but was removed by a secondary cut after 54 holes. Those players still earn money and points.
Is there always a cut in professional golf?
No. Many limited-field events, most PGA Tour Signature Events, LIV Golf tournaments, and the season-ending Tour Championship run with no cut, so all players compete every round.
Sources
- PGA Tour. “What is the cut at the PGA Championship?” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2025/05/14/what-is-the-cut-pga-championship-quail-hollow-major-championship - Golf News Net (Ryan Ballengee). “What is the PGA Tour cut rule, and how is the cut line determined?” Accessed July 2026.
https://thegolfnewsnet.com/ryan_ballengee/2026/04/10/what-is-pga-tour-cut-rule-2025-how-cut-line-determined-102941/ - Golf.com. “PGA Tour’s new cut rule is already causing confusion and concern.” Accessed July 2026.
https://golf.com/news/new-cut-rule-pga-tour-concern-confusion/ - Today’s Golfer. “Masters cut rules explained: How the 36-hole cut works at Augusta National.” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.todays-golfer.com/news-and-events/majors/the-masters/cut-rules/ - Golf Compendium. “What Does It Mean When the Cutline Moves?” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.golfcompendium.com/2024/11/what-does-it-mean-when-cutline-moves.html - LiveAbout. “What Does MDF Stand for in Golf Scores?” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.liveabout.com/what-does-mdf-in-golf-scores-mean-1565771 - Golf Monthly. “PGA Tour’s Cut Rule Explained.” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/what-is-the-pga-tours-cut-rule
