Masters Cut Rule Explained: How Many Players Make It Through To The Weekend?

With 264 days between the final Major of last season and the start of this year's Masters, everyone will be desperate to be around for what is always a very special week.

However, the fun and games of the practice rounds and Par 3 contest are over and the serious business is well underway, and Augusta National always sends home some big names and pre-tournament favorites early.

So, anyone who doesn't have their A-game can be sent packing before the tournament really heats up.

The Masters cut is different from any other Major Championship. Here's how it works...

Masters cut rule explained:

After 36 holes are completed, the Masters field is cut to the low 50 players and ties.

This has changed over the years, with the first cut being put in place in 1957, 23 years after the first edition of the tournament.

During the period from 1957-61, the field was cut to the low 40 and ties, before being changed the next year with the introduction of the 10-shot rule.

From 1962-2012, the field was cut to the low 44 and ties, with anyone within 10 strokes of the lead also making it through.

Over the next seven years, the 36-hole cut was expanded to the low 50 and ties, as well as anyone within 10 strokes of the leader.

More tweaks to the cut were made in 2020, which was when the 10-shot rule was scrapped.

Now, it's simply the low 50 and ties that get to play all four rounds and compete for that coveted Green Jacket.

Masters cut line records

No one has made more cuts at the Masters than Jack Nicklaus, who sits clear on 37 ahead of fellow American Fred Couples (31), Gary Player (30), and Phil Mickelson (28).

Tiger Woods, meanwhile, holds the record for the most consecutive cuts made (24), a run that started in 1997.

The five-time Masters champion, who is not competing at Augusta this week, set the record after limping through to the weekend in 2024, surpassing the mark he shared with Player and Couples.

Masters cut line number through the years

Here’s what the cut line has been for the last ten Masters.

The number that really stands out is the record-low even-par in 2020, which can be mainly attributed to the soft conditions, with the tournament taking place in November instead of its usual spring slot.

The highest cut was 154 (+10) in 1982.

The weather has been perfect this year and Augusta is firm and fast, meaning the total needed to make the cut is set to be well over par.