2025 Masters cut rules explained: How the 36-hole cut works at Augusta National
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Not sure how the halfway cut works at the Masters? Here’s your guide to who survives to see the weekend at Augusta – and why the cut line is tougher than most.
The Masters is a golf tournament unlike any other – and that extends beyond bunkers that don’t contain actual sand, famous green jackets, and pimento cheese sandwiches. Even the cut line at Augusta National plays by its own rules.
Most PGA Tour events follow a familiar script: after two rounds, the top 70 players (plus ties) make the cut and play the weekend, while everyone else heads home. But at the Masters, the bar is set much higher – and falling short means packing your bags early, no matter your résumé.
Here’s how the 36-hole cut at Augusta works, and how it’s evolved over the years.
Current Masters cut rule
As it stands today, only the top 50 players and ties make it through to the weekend. Simple, if tough. But Augusta used to offer a bit more wiggle room, which brings us to the history of the Masters halfway cut…
A brief history of the Masters cut line
- 1934–1956: No cut at all. Yep, back when the tournament began (then known as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament), every player played all four rounds, regardless of performance.
- 1957–1960: The introduction of the cut. The top 40 players and ties advanced, and they added a smart little caveat: anyone within 10 shots of the lead also made it through. That “10-shot rule” meant big names could survive even if they were further down the board – as long as the leader wasn’t running away with it.
- 1961–2012: The cut line moved ever so slightly. Now it was top 44 and ties, still with the 10-shot rule in place.
- 2013–2020: Another bump. The threshold became top 50 and ties, and the 10-shot rule remained, still offering a lifeline to those within range of the lead.
- 2021–present: Augusta tightened things up. The 10-shot rule was scrapped, leaving just the top 50 and ties to move forward. No exceptions.
Why did they ditch the 10-shot rule?
The 10-shot rule had its charm – it kept the field larger and gave big names (and crowd favorites) a shot at weekend redemption. But it also created some bloated Saturday and Sunday tee sheets, especially in years when scoring was tight. By dropping it, the Masters ensured a leaner, more competitive weekend field, and probably helped the TV schedulers breathe a little easier too.
What does it mean for the players?
At Augusta, every shot counts. Being just outside the top 50 – no matter how close you are to the lead – means you’re heading home. There’s no coasting, no waiting on a backdoor pass through the 10-shot rule. It puts added pressure on the early rounds, and it’s one of the reasons the Masters often feels so intense, right from the first tee shot on Thursday.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a first-time invitee, the first 36 holes are a battle not just against the course, but against the cut itself. It’s one more reason why the Masters is golf’s ultimate test – and why making it to the weekend at Augusta is an achievement in its own right.
Do players who miss the cut still get paid?
Yes, they do – but not nearly as much as those who play the weekend.
At the Masters, any professional who misses the cut still receives a payout, though it’s relatively small compared to the full purse. The Masters pays £10,000 to every pro who doesn’t make the weekend (amateurs aren’t eligible for prize money).
This isn’t standard practice across the board. On the PGA Tour, for example, most tournaments don’t pay anything to players who miss the cut. The Masters, being invitational and run by Augusta National, operates by its own rules – and this is one way it helps support the players who qualified but didn’t quite make it through.
So, while missing the cut at Augusta is a tough pill to swallow, it’s not a total loss – especially when you factor in the perks of just being in the field: the world ranking points, sponsor attention, and – let’s be honest – just getting to tee it up at Augusta is a career milestone in itself.
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What are the halfway cut rules at the Masters?
