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The practice rounds are done, the Par 3 contest is a memory, and Augusta National is now in full tournament mode. With the Masters Cut 2026 fast approaching, even the biggest names in the field cannot afford an off day.
The Masters cut rule works differently from any other major championship. After 36 holes, the field is trimmed to the low 50 players and ties. That is it. No 10-shot rule, no exceptions. If your name is not inside that number after two rounds, your week is over.
It was not always this straightforward. A cut was first introduced at Augusta in 1957, with the field initially reduced to the low 40 and ties. From 1962 to 2012, it became the low 44 and ties, with anyone within 10 strokes of the lead also advancing.
The threshold was later expanded to the low 50 and ties while keeping the 10-shot rule in place, before that rule was scrapped entirely in 2020. Since then, the Masters Cut 2026 format has remained the same clean and simple standard of low 50 and ties.
When it comes to Masters cut records, Jack Nicklaus leads the all-time list with 37 cuts made, well clear of Fred Couples on 31, Gary Player on 30, and Phil Mickelson on 28.
Tiger Woods, who is absent from Augusta this week, holds the record for most consecutive cuts made at 24, a streak that began in 1997 and was extended when he made it through to the weekend in 2024.
Looking back at the Masters cut line history over the past decade, the number that stands out most is the even-par mark in 2020, a result of soft course conditions when the tournament was pushed to November.
The highest cut on record came way back in 1982 at 10 over par. With Augusta playing firm and fast under perfect weather conditions this week, the Masters Cut 2026 line is expected to land well above even par.
Masters Cut Line: Last 10 Years
2025 – +2 (146)
2024 – +6 (150)
2023 – +3 (147)
2022 – +4 (148)
2021 – +3 (147)
2020 – E (144)
2019 – +3 (147)
2018 – +8 (149)
2017 – +6 (150)
2016 – +6 (150)
