PGA Championship cut rules: How many players make the cut?

The 2024 PGA Championship was always shaping up to be perhaps the most compelling major championship possible. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka were all chasing varying levels of history and glory and all came in after winning their previous starts on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf alike. And to add to that, Xander Schauffele got out to a blistering start and the drama heightened after a shocking arrest of Scheffler entering Valhalla Golf Club on Friday morning.

Regardless of all the drama, though, the main point for each one of those players and other contenders was that they want to win the PGA Championship. But to win this tournament, players first have to get into the weekend -- they have to make the cut.

How many players make the cut at the PGA Championship, though? We're going to take a look at the PGA of America's cut rules for their major championship and also a look at how other majors compare and the recent history of the cut line at this championship.

How many players make the cut at the PGA Championship?

The PGA Championship cut rules state that the Top 70 players and ties after the first 36 holes of play will advance to play the final 36 holes of the tournament. These are the same cut rules that are in play for The Open Championship as the PGA of America and the R&A have instituted the same cut-off point for their respective major championships. This is obviously a bit different from what we see weekly on the PGA Tour where the cut is the Top 65 and ties playing the weekend and from LIV Golf where there is no cut in the 54-hole event.

What has been the cut line at the last 5 PGA Championships?

What has the cut line looked like in the PGA Championship in recent years? Let's take a look at where the cut has ended up in the last five editions of this major.

It's interesting that, despite the PGA Championship changing venues every year, we've seen the cut line really hover around +4 or +5 for these events in recent years. The one exception to that was the 2020 edition that was played at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, where it was just a hair over par for the cut line. It's likely we see something akin to that or even lower in the 2024 edition at Valhalla.

Cut rules at other majors and how they differ from the PGA Championship

As mentioned, the PGA Championship cut rules are the same as at the British Open. However, it differs from the rules that we see at The Masters and the US Open. At Augusta for The Masters, the cut rules state that the Top 50 and ties advance to play the final two rounds, which is largely due to the limited field size we see at that event in comparison to the others. As for the US Open, that line is set at the Top 60 players and ties, a likely tool to trim down the field with the plethora of open qualifiers.