Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Augusta National Golf Club hosts the 2026 Masters Tournament, where only the Top 50 players and ties after two rounds advance to the weekend.
- Several pre-tournament favorites like Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau had to fight to make the cut on Friday.
- Live updates from the Masters Tournament on Friday as players sweat making the cut.
The Masters cut may be the smallest in the four major championships with only 50ish players getting into the weekend, but the cut line sweats on Friday might be even more dramatic at Augusta National Golf Club. It was a surprising first round for a number of reasons. Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, both of whom entered the tournament among the favorites, struggled mightily, as did most of the LIV Golf stars. But the reason why was just as surprising, as Augusta showed its teeth on day one.
We knew that it was going to be a firm and fast golf course this week given the weather and lack of rain at Augusta leading into the Masters, but I don't know how many people expected that to be the case right out of the gate. But the result of that is we're seeing some terrific players who many people were backing this week now just struggling to make the cut. And with the cut projected to be one of the highest in recent memory, somewhere around +5 and +6, there will be cut line sweats throughout Friday's second round.
2026 Masters cut line tracker: Live updates for the action at Augusta
The Masters cut rules: How many players play the weekend?
As mentioned, the cut rules at Augusta for the Masters are some of the most unique in golf. The Top 50 players and ties after the first two rounds will move on to play the weekend. This differs from the PGA Tour, where the standard cut line is the Top 65 and ties. It's also apart from the other three major championships in golf, all of which either send through the Top 65 or Top 70 and ties after the first two rounds through the cut.
One thing to note about the cut at the Masters Tournament is that things have changed in relatively recent history. Before the 2020 Masters, which was moved to November amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the decision was made to eliminate the rule that allowed any player within 10 shots of the lead to also play the weekend and make the cut. Given that we already see more than half of the 90-ish player field through to the weekend, it feels like that was a good decision to eliminate that rule.
Notable players sweating the cut at the 2026 Masters
LIV Golf's biggest stars, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, headlined the players in danger of not playing the weekend at Augusta. They shot a +4 and +6 in the first round, respectively, which is right around the cut line. They were the most notable, but let's be clear, there were plenty of players who found themselves in real danger at that point. Here's a look at more players at or around the cut line who needed a good round on Friday to play the weekend at the 2026 Masters Tournament.
- Bryson DeChambeau +4
- Nicolai Hojgaard +4
- Bubba Watson +4
- Mason Howell (A) +5
- Patrick Cantlay +5
- Maverick McNealy +5
- Jon Rahm +6
- Min Woo Lee +6
- Robert MacIntyre +8
Note: All scores are after the first round.