PINEHURST, N.C. — It’s a tough course, so the U.S. Open may have to be played an entire weekend on Pinehurst’s No. 2 course. The cut line for the U.S. Open, as set by the United States Golf Association, is the top 60 players who are tied after the first 36 holes. After one round, 64 of the 156 competitors can make the cut.
However, with the weather expected to get worse on Friday and a tight field, that number could be higher. As of the time of publication, the cut line will include 79 players.
For reference, the Masters features the top 50 players and ties, but the field size for this major is much smaller than the U.S. Open, at under 100 players. The PGA and British Open feature 70 players and ties, and the Players Championship features 65 players and ties. The field size for these three tournaments is also 156 players.
More fun facts about the cut, provided by the USGA:
The youngest player to have qualified since records began after World War II was Beau Hosler, who was 17 years, 3 months old when he qualified in 2012. He finished tied for 29th. The oldest is Sam Snead, who qualified in 1973 at the age of 61 years, 10 months and 19 days and, oddly enough, also finished tied for 29th.
The highest 36-hole cut was an astounding 15-over-par in 1955. The lowest was 2-over-par at Los Angeles Country Club last year. 108 players made the cut at Oakland Hills in the 1996 U.S. Open, the most ever (the runner-up was 88 who made the cut at Baltusrol in 1993).
Six father-son pairs have competed at the U.S. Open, but only one has both qualified: the Kirkwood brothers, Joe and Joe Jr., at Riviera in 1948. There have been several instances of brother-sister pairs qualifying at both the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open, most recently Min Gyi and Min Woo Lee in the past two years.
