The 2023 Masters will tee off from Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia next week. With a smaller field than most PGA Tour tournaments, the Masters cut line operates a bit differently than most of golf’s Majors. We’ll take a look at the Masters’ cut rules, along with the cut line from the last 10 Masters Championships.
It’s already difficult enough to qualify for the Masters, but when it comes to major championship golf, everyone in the field is waiting for their shot at the Green Jacket.
It doesn’t matter if it’s the hottest player on the tour or past champions, the goal of all athletes at Augusta is to win. However, the first thing that needs to be done is to make the cut. After making the 36-hole cut, a players’ chances of winning a Green Jacket become a reality.
Top-ranked players have had to sweat out the cut line before, including former major winners Brooks Koepka (75), Gary Woodland (75), Justin Thomas (76), and Bryson DeChambeau (76). Each player laid outside the top 50 after Day 2 and their Masters hopes were in serious jeopardy. In 2023, these players may have missed the cut entirely.
That brings to question, how is the Masters cut line even determined? It’s simple. Today, only the top 50 players including ties make it, but it wasn’t always the case at Augusta.
Master Cut Rules at Augusta National
A regular PGA Tour event has a 36-hole cut at the top 65 players plus ties at the end of the second round. Originally, the Masters let any player within 10 strokes of the lead make the cut, it was known as the “10-shot rule”.
In 2020, Augusta decided to change the rules to determine the 36-hole cut. Now the rule is changed, allowing only the top 50 players will make it, including ties, at the end of round 2.
The Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley weighed in and explained the changes for the cut line change. By moving it to the top 50 players, it became a more “reliable” way to predict the weekend field, and based on statistics in the last few years, the 10-shot rule doesn’t really produce that many players in contention.
While it’s still possible for players to win despite being 10-strokes back, it just doesn’t happen as often anymore. Now, the 50-player cutline is used to tighten things up and have a more predictable field size heading into the weekend.
Cut Line for the Last 10 Masters
Every year the cut line changes but with the new rule, it’s been steadier. The average cut at the Masters is 148.4. In 1982, the cut was 154 (+10), which marks the highest cut ever.
In 2022, the cut line was 4 over par, the highest mark since 2018.
Check out the cut line at the last 10 Masters below.
- 2022: 148 (+4)
- 2021: 147 (+3)
- 2020:144 (E)
- 2019:147 (+3)
- 2018:149 (+8)
- 2017:150 (+6)
- 2016:150 (+6)
- 2015:146 (+2)
- 2014:148 (+4)
- 2013:148 (+4)
- 2012:149 (+5)
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