Arnold Palmer Invitational Cut Rule: How It Works

For the third time in the past four weeks, players are competing in a Signature Event on the PGA Tour. Specifically, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

Following the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and then the Genesis Invitational, hosted by Tiger Woods, the schedule finally hosted a regular tour event last time out as the Cognizant Classic welcomed in the Florida Swing.

The mini journey through the Sunshine State continues with an event in honor of 'The King' this week before TPC Sawgrass stages the biggest and best field of the year at The Players Championship.

In the meantime, the latest $20 million tournament takes place with 72 world-class golfers hoping to pose with the trophy in the iconic red cardigan - designed as a tribute to Mr Palmer after his death in 2016.

It will be extremely tough to triumph, however, because 19 of the world's top-20 players are teeing it up and Bay Hill is one of the toughest layouts on the schedule.

Not only that, but - unlike the majority of Signature Events - there is a cut rule in place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Following on from the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational is one of only three Signature Events to operate with a cut in 2026. The other elevated event to have a cut is the Memorial Tournament, hosted by Jack Nicklaus.

So far this season on the PGA Tour, the only event not to have a cut in operation was the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The next time that will be the case once again isn't until after The Masters next month.

No-cut tournaments are still a relative rarity on the PGA Tour in 2026, with nine of the 41 non-Major events allowing the field to complete all four rounds and pick up a guaranteed pay check.

All three FedEx Cup Playoff tournaments see every player compete in all four rounds while the Baycurrent Classic - which takes place in Japan - is the same. The remaining five are the non-player-hosted Signature Events.

ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL CUT RULE

Just like the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational's cut mark will arrive after everyone in the field has completed 36 holes, with the top-50 players and ties from the 72-man field making it through to the weekend.

A small caveat is that anyone outside of the top 50 and ties but within ten strokes of the leader at the halfway stage will also make it through to the final two rounds, so the number of players who actually miss out on a pay check could be very small indeed.

Last year, 21 players missed the cut at Bay Hill as only 51 players continued on for the final two rounds. Russell Henley eventually nudged aside Collin Morikawa to slip on the iconic red cardigan and lift the trophy.