Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The 2026 Masters field will face notoriously strict cut rules, where only the top 50 golfers and ties advance to the weekend.
- Augusta's cut line has become significantly tougher in recent years with the removal of the 10-stroke buffer.
- Historically, between 52 and 60 players typically survive the cut, but with 91 golfers set to compete this year, the weekend roster remains unpredictable.
Every golfer dreams of donning the green jacket one day, but doing so requires checking a lot of boxes. Qualifying to participate in the Masters is tough enough as it is, but before players can even dream of winning the event, they must make the cut. Of course, qualifying for the 2026 Masters does not mean you automatically have a chance to play on Sunday.
With that in mind, here’s everything to know about the tournament's cut line, how the rules actually work and whether a player can realistically contend after just sneaking into the weekend.
Explaining the Masters cut rules
The Masters is supposed to feature the best golfers in the world, and this means that only some of those who qualified to participate will even make it to the weekend. Sure, other majors and PGA tournaments have cut rules, but they're not as strict as these.
In typical PGA Tour events, the top 70 golfers and those tied with the golfer in 70th place make the cut. The margin for error is much larger in those events. At the Masters, only the top 50 golfers and ties make the cut. Again, only the best of the best will qualify. Any mistake could end your run before the weekend.
What makes the Masters cut rules especially interesting is that they've become stricter. In the past, the rule was the top 50 and ties advance, plus those who are within 10 strokes of the leader. The 10-stroke rule has since been removed, making it even harder to move forward in this prestigious event.
How many players typically make the cut at Augusta?
Obviously, since those tied for 50th are allowed to advance, the number of golfers who make the cut differs every year. It can be as low as 50 and technically as high as however many golfers qualify for the tournament.
Since the margin for error is so slim, the number doesn't usually stray much past 50 golfers. Even if you're one stroke back of 50th place, you cannot participate in the weekend portion of the event, so anywhere between 52 and 60 golfers is usually the max.
How many players made the cut at The Masters the past 5 years?
Everything about the cut changes year-to-year. This goes for the total number of golfers participating and the number of golfers who make the cut. There have been as many as 95 golfers to participate in The Masters over the past five years, and as many as 60 golfers made the cut. What's particularly interesting is that those highs did not occur in the same year.
Year | Total golfers | Golfers that made the cut | Masters cut line |
|---|---|---|---|
2025 | 95 | 53 | +2 |
2024 | 89 | 60 | +6 |
2023 | 88 | 54 | +3 |
2022 | 90 | 52 | +4 |
2021 | 88 | 54 | +3 |
In 2025, 95 golfers participated, but only 53 of them made the cut. Conversely, only 89 golfers participated in 2024, but 60 of those made the cut. In 2022, 90 golfers participated, but only 52 of those advanced — the fewest in the past five years. You truly never know what you're going to get in this event.
With 91 golfers set to participate in the 2026 Masters, it truly is anyone's best guess as to how many of those 91 will advance past the second round.
What is the average Masters cut score?
The average cut score at the Masters is 44, which is slightly above 4 over par. In the past five years, the cut line has been as high as 6 over par and as low as two over par. The year the cut line settled at 2-over also featured the largest field, a reflection of just how deep the talent pool is at the Masters..
In 12 of the past 16 tournaments, the cut line was between +3 and +6. so seeing the number settle at around +4 would certainly make a lot of sense.
Has anyone ever won after barely making the cut?
Advancing to the third round is difficult, but that's only half the battle. The participants obviously want to win the whole thing, which is the other half of the battle. Usually, those who put themselves in a good position with a strong showing in the first two rounds wind up winning The Masters. Now, a fairly rough first round put Rory McIlroy in a bit of a hole in 2025, but he was a leading six under par in round two and wound up carrying that momentum to victory. It's extremely rare for a golfer to win The Masters after barely making the cut, but there are a couple of examples to look back on.
In 2011, Charl Schwartzel won the Masters after finishing the first two rounds only three strokes better than the cut line and eight shots back of the leaders. His eight-stroke rally is tied for the largest comeback in Masters history.
Another example worth highlighting is the 2007 Masters. Zach Johnson was five strokes better than the cut line after 36 holes, which is a bit better than you might expect, but he was four shots back of the lead after the first two rounds, and was sitting at one over par at the midway point. Johnson wound up winning the Masters with that same one over par score. Weather was a huge factor that year, but it's probably unlikely we'll see something like that again.
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