Players 2026: How the 36-hole cutline is decided at TPC Sawgrass

Survive and advance is something you hear this time of year as NCAA hoops and March Madness get ready to take center stage. But it’s the mantra many will be repeating on Friday at the Players Championship as competitors look to do whatever they can to survive the 36-hole cut at TPC Sawgrass, and advance to the weekend.

With the Players being the flagship event on the PGA Tour, it’s only natural that the 36-hole cutline is determined in the same fashion as the majority of tour events. The low 65 players and ties after the conclusion of the second round get two more tee times at Sawgrass.

Exactly what the cutline might be this year is starting to come into focus as Friday’s second round is underway. At 4:15 p.m. EDT, DataGolf.com was calculating that one-over 145 had a 75.1 percent probability of being the cutline number, with two-over 146 coming in at a 24.9 percent probability.

This created an interesting dilemma for two notable players: defending champion Rory McIlroy and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. 

Nursing a muscle issue in his back, McIlroy played no practice rounds at TPC Sawgrass in the three days leading up to the event. After shooting an opening-round two-over 74, McIlroy was sweating things out during his second round on Friday. But a birdie on his last hole gave him a one-under 71, putting him at one over for the tournament and likely sneaking him into the weekend. Interestingly, McIlroy was the last defending champ at the Players to miss the cut the following year, winning in 2019 but then failing to reach the weekend in 2021 (COVID cancelled the event in 2020).

Scheffler shot an opening even-par 72, but Friday afternoon he was struggling to get his swing in order, sitting at one over for the day as he made the turn. That he's flirting with missing the cut is surprising since he hasn't missed a cut in 69 straight PGA Tour starts. He is also the leader in all-time prize money earned in the event with $9.2 million, after back-to-back wins in 2023 and 2024. His only missed cut in five starts at TPC Sawgrass came in his debut in 2021.

The cut rule at the Players is different from the four men’s majors. The Masters uses the top 50 players and ties (it has a smaller field); the U.S. Open goes with low 60 and ties, the PGA Championship and Open Championship use low 70.

For purposes of comparison, here’s what the cut line has been for the last 10 Players:

2025: 143 (-1), 72 players
2024: 143 (-1), 73 players
2023: 146 (+2), 75 players
2022: 146 (+2), 71 players
2021: 144 (E), 71 players
2019: 143 (-1), 80 players
2018: 143 (-1), 80 players
2017: 146 (+2), 82 players
2016: 142 (-2), 76 players
2015: 144 (E), 75 players

The average cut at the Players is 145.8 (1.8 over par). The highest cut since the move in 1982 to TPC Sawgrass is 150 (six over par), which happened twice: 1983 and 2000.

For history buffs, here are some stats related to the cut at the Players:

Most cuts made

23, Tom Kite
21, Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer
20, Sergio Garcia
19, Nick Price, Davis Love III
18, Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods, Adam Scott
17, Jay Haas, Hale Irwin, Phil Mickelson, Gil Morgan, Brad Faxon, Joey Sindelar, Fred Couples, Corey Pavin, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els
16, Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Lietzke, John Mahaffey, Fred Funk, Rocco Mediate

Longest consecutive cuts-made streaks

18, Sergio Garcia (2004-2022)
14, Brad Faxon (1992-95; didn’t play 1996; 1997-06)
13, Tiger Woods (1997-2010; didn’t play 2008)

Longest active consecutive cuts streak of players in the field

7, Tom Hoge (2018-2025)