Masters cut line tracker 2026: Projected cut, rules, updates for Friday's leaderboard
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Masters cut line tracker 2026: Projected cut, rules, updates for Friday's leaderboard originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Augusta National can never be categorized as easy to play, but wind and a firm course made it particularly difficult in Thursday's first round. Some of the world's best golfers are already in trouble ahead of Friday's cut.
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Cameron Young, Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland all got off to slow starts on Thursday, while Rory McIlroy missed a number of fairways early on but played well enough otherwise to keep himself safely away from the cut line as he heads into Day 2 tied for the lead.
Among those not at risk of being cut, barring a complete reversal of fortune on Friday, are Sam Burns and former champion Patrick Reed, who each stormed to the top of the leaderboard with early tee times on Thursday.
Here's a live look at the projected cut line at the Masters and which players are at risk of falling short of the weekend.
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What is the Masters cut line in 2026?
- Cut line: +3
- Players inside cut line: 56
The projected cut line for the Masters in 2026 is currently 3-over par. The cut line in 2025 was 2-over par, but it was as high as 6-over par in 2024.
The Masters takes the top 50 golfers plus ties into the weekend, and there are currently 56 players in line to make it to the weekend. The cut line will almost certainly continue to fluctuate throughout Friday's second round.
Here are some of the biggest names below the cut line heading into Friday.
Notable players in danger of missing Masters cut
The following players are among those below the cut line at the moment:
- Bryson DeChambeau (+4)
- Nicolai Hojgaard (+4)
- Sungjae Im (+4)
- Bubba Watson (+4)
- Patrick Cantlay (+5)
- Min Woo Lee (+6)
- Jon Rahm (+6)
- Robert MacIntyre (+8)
MORE MASTERS 2026:
- Ranking the 30 best golfers in this year's Masters
- Odds, betting favorites, expert picks for the 2026 Masters
- Complete list of golfers playing in the Masters
Masters Tournament cut rules
Only the top 50 players (plus ties) make the cut at the Masters. This rule was put into effect during the 2020 Masters to keep the weekend field small during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before the rule change, any player within 10 strokes of the leader after 36 holes advanced to the weekend. This was in addition to the top-50 players in the field (plus ties), so it made for a larger field advancing to the weekend.
The rule change established that the Masters cut is the most difficult among golf's four majors. The top 60 players make the cut at the U.S. Open, and the top 70 golfers do so at the PGA Championship and the Open Championship.
MORE MASTERS NEWS:
- Complete list of Masters winners by year
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How many players make the cut at the Masters?
91 golfers teed off on Thursday in Augusta, four fewer, but many won't make it to the weekend. Only the top 50 (plus ties) will make the cut, while the rest of the field will have to watch the rest of the action.
53 golfers made the cut at the Masters in 2025, but 60 made it in 2024 due to a significant number of players tied.