What Is The Cut Rule At The Memorial Tournament?

The penultimate signature event of the PGA Tour season is the Memorial Tournament, where 72 of the world's best players compete at Muirfield Village for a share of the $20m purse.

In total, there are eight signature events throughout the season, but the Memorial Tournament is a little different from most. The event is one of just three player-hosted signature events, with 18-time Major Jack Nicklaus welcoming players including defending champion Scottie Scheffler and 2023 winner Viktor Hovland this week.

The other two player-hosted signature events are the Tiger Woods-fronted Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and on of the things that differentiates them from the other five is they have a cut.

That means that, unlike The Sentry, the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the RBC Heritage, the Truist Championship and next month's Travelers Championship, some players will bow out at the halfway stage even though there is a limited field of 72.

But how is the cut line determined? Well, it's relatively generous, with the top 50 and ties, plus any other player within 10 shots of the lead after 36 holes, making it to the weekend. That means a maximum of 22 will leave at the halfway stage. However, it is likely to be fewer than that and, in 2024, just 20 of the 73-player field failed to reach Saturday's action.

As well as the cut rule, there are some other factors that differentiate the player-hosted events from the rest, one being that they are invitationals. They also have a slightly different prize money distribution that will see this week’s winner claim 20% of the $20m purse rather than the more typical 18%. Therefore, the winner will claim $4m rather than the more typical $3.6m.

The Memorial Tournament Cut Rule

• Top 50 and ties
• Players within 10 shots of the lead