What are the PGA Championship cut rules?

2023 PGA Championship - Round One
Leaderboard of the 2023 PGA Championship(Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

The 2023 PGA Championship has begun and, as always, there are many questions regarding the different rules of the tournament. One frequently asked question revolves around the 'cut rules' — how many golfers will advance after making the cut?

The answer is that the top 70 players after the end of Round 2, will advance to Rounds 3 and 4 of the tournament.

Interestingly, there is no rule that any player with less than 10 strokes (than the top ranker of the leaderboard) can make the cut.

Every major championship has a different set of rules, as does the PGA championship. The PGA Championship and The Open Championship have the same set of cut rules. In the case of the Masters, the top 50 players (including ties) make the cut. Similarly, at the U.S. Open the top 65 players (including ties).


How many players made the cut in the previous three editions of the PGA Championship

Since there is no cut line, a number of golfers have made the cut despite being more than 10 shots behind the leader. Here are the last three editions' stats:

  • 2022: 79 golfers
  • 2021: 81 golfers
  • 2020: 79 golfers

In what format the PGA Championship is played?

The major tournament is a type of 72-hole stroke play. The entire field is divided into two groups that play in two different shifts: morning and afternoon. The players are paired in three and round one starts on the No. 1 tee and No. 2 tee, featuring two groups.

The first and only cut is made after the end of the second round. The Top 70 players, including ties, advance to the weekend's play of rounds 3 and 4. Later, the pairing is based on the total score of the first two rounds. The players with the highest aggregate get to play first and are followed by others in descending order.

The player who has the lowest aggregate total after the fourth round is announced as the winner. If there are any ties, the PGA Championships playoff rule is used to determine the winner.

Phil Mickelson with the 2021 PGA Championship trophy - Final Round (via Getty Images)
Phil Mickelson with the 2021 PGA Championship trophy - Final Round (via Getty Images)

The playoff format will be played by all tied players on the first rank in the leaderboard. This will be a three-hole aggregate-score format. The game will be played at the no. 16, 17, and 18 holes.

If still there is a tie, players will have to play in a sudden-death playoff. They have to play hole-by-hole until one turns the winner.


What will the winner of the PGA Championship get?

The PGA Championship has a handsome prize pool of $15 million. The winner gets a massive paycheck of $2.7 million. He will also be rewarded with a five-year PGA Tour exemption and lifetime exemptions to play at the PGA Championship.

The winner will also get automatic invites to the other three majors, the Masters, US Open, and Open Championship, for the next five years. He will also be invited to The Players Championship for the next five years and will also be rewarded with 600 FedEx Cup points.

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