U.S. Open: Cut line explained

PINEHURST, N.C. — A challenging course could mean a full weekend at Pinehurst No. 2 for the U.S. Open. The USGA’s cut line at the U.S. Open is top 60 players and ties through the first 36 holes. Through one round, 64 of the 156-player field would have made the cut.

But that number could inch even higher given tougher conditions Friday that should keep the field bunched. At the time of publication, the cutline would include 79 players.

For reference, the Masters takes the top 50 players and ties, though that major has a much smaller field — fewer than 100 players — than the U.S. Open. The PGA and the Open Championship take 70 players and ties, and the Players Championship takes 65 players and ties; all three of those tournaments also have 156-member fields.

Some other cut tidbits, courtesy of the USGA:

The youngest player to make the cut since World War II, when records started being kept, is Beau Hossler, who was 17 years and three months old when he made the cut in 2012. He finished T29. The oldest: Sam Snead, 61 years, 10 months and 19 days, when he made the cut in 1973 and, strangely enough, also finished T29.

The highest 36-hole cut came in 1955 at an astounding 15-over par. The lowest came just last year, when the cut was 2-over par at Los Angeles Country Club. The 1996 U.S. Open saw 108 players make the cut at Oakland Hills, the most by far. (Runner-up: the 88 who made the cut at Baltusrol in 1993.)

There have been six father-son duos at the U.S. Open, but only one where both made the cut: the Kirkwoods, Joe and Joe Jr., back in 1948 at Riviera. Several brother-sister teams have made the cut in both the U.S. and U.S. Women’s Opens, most recently Minjee and Min Woo Lee the last two years.