The British Open got underway on Thursday morning at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, and it was clear from the get-go that the golf was going to be a wild ride in the final major championship of 2025. Winds were whipping, scores were like a rollercoaster for just about every player, and even in the early stages of the tournament, you could tell that trying to get under The Open Championship cut line this week was going to be a tall task for even the best in the world.
Frankly, that's one of the reasons why so many golf fans love The Open as much as they do, especially at a place like Portrush. The elements that we often see on these courses combined with the general unpredictability and required feel of links golf makes things volatile. How a player is performing can turn on a dime from one hole to the next. And if a player is sweating making or missing the cut, that adds an immense amount of drama.
But how many players make the cut at the British Open? And what is the cut line going to be at Royal Portrush? Here's what we can tell you about The Open cut line and where we're heading this week.
How many players make the cut at The Open?
The Top 70 players and ties after 36 holes of play will make the cut at the British Open at Royal Portrush, as has been the case for several years now. Obviously, The Open cut rules have changed over the years as the tournament has continued to grow in notoriety and field size. However, it's always fascinating to look at the four modern major championships in this capacity, because they all have different cut rules.
The Masters, which also has the smallest field of the four majors, has the smallest cut with only the Top 50 and ties making it through after 36 holes. At the U.S. Open, meanwhile, the cut line is quite vicious with the same field size as The Open, but only the Top 60 and ties getting through to the weekend. The PGA Championship, however, also has the Top 70 and ties as their cut rules.
Cut line projection for the 2025 British Open
The current projected British Open cut line is between +1 and +3, with +2 or +3 being the most likely. That cut line projection has moved closer to even-par as the afternoon wave has played Royal Portrush on Thursday, as the scoring has improved as the first round has progressed throughout the course. Previously, there was a semi-likely chance that +4 could be the number, but the models have now shifted.
What's remained consistent is that +2 or +3 are the most likely cut lines at The Open. Datagolf's models have a 38.2% chance that the number ends up being +2, while there's a 34.3% chance it goes to +3. As for that +1, should this level of scoring continue on Friday, there is a 14.6% chance of the cut line coming in that low.
As I'll always mention, though, The Open can be highly volatile and could push the cut line in any direction. With conditions playing such a big part at the British Open when it comes to wind and rain, an influx of either or a lack of either could push the cut line higher or lower, respectively. That will be something to watch for throughout the end of the first round and most certainly on Friday for the second round.
British Open cut line for the last 5 tournaments
Year (Course) | Cut Line | Number of Players to Make the Cut |
|---|---|---|
2024 (Royal Troon) | +6 | 80 |
2023 (Royal Liverpool) | +3 | 76 |
2022 (St. Andrews) | E | 83 |
2021 (Royal St. Georges) | +1 | 77 |
2019 (Royal Portrush) | +1 | 73 |
The last time The Open came to Royal Portrush in 2019, the cut line ended up at just +1. However, the conditions for the 2025 British Open, at least in Round 1, appeared to be much more demanding than six years ago (there was no Open Championship in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), so that's why we're likely to see the cut line creep up a bit higher this time around. It should be more congruent with the cuts that we've seen in the past couple of years at Royal Troon and Royal Liverpool than on line with 2019, Royal St. Georges or St. Andrews.
And in case anyone was wondering, back in 1951, the only other time that Royal Portrush hosted The Open Championship, the cut line ended up at +10 to play the weekend. Only 46 players made the cut that year when the rules were much more stringent.