PGA TOUR: New proposed cut rules a welcome improvement

The PGA TOUR is expected to make a major change to its cut rules next year, and it should improve the game for all players, as well as fans.

The PGA TOUR, for the last decade or so, has made a point of involving its players more closely in an effort to improve the quality of the game. While some of the changes that the TOUR has put in place haven’t been wildly successful, the most recent change – to the current cut rule – should improve things for players and fans alike.

Today, in a standard PGA TOUR event, the cut line to play the weekend (and get paid) is the top 70 and ties through two rounds. Beginning in 2008, the TOUR instituted “Rule 78”, better known as the secondary cut. If more than 78 players made the 54-hole cut, they would be further reduced after the third round to the number nearest to 70. That led to the creation of the infamous “MDF” designation: Made cut, didn’t finish.

While those players still got paid and received (minimal) FedEx Cup ranking points, the rule has been wildly unpopular with players, basically since its creation. However, according to recent reports, that’s all going to change very soon.

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard reported that, in March, the PGA TOUR policy board approved a change to the policy that would eliminate the secondary cut, while also reducing the standard 54-hole cut to the top 65 players and ties. They sent this proposal to the Player Advisory Council, which initially discussed this topic at the Wells Fargo Championship.

The Council, led by co-Chairmen James Hahn and Kevin Kisner, includes 16 players in total, from stars like Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas to journeymen like Josh Teater and Roberto Castro. The group supported the change in the cut rule, and also took on a change in the current purse payout structure.

With fewer players making the cut, the council reportedly voted in favor of awarding a higher percentage of the purse to the winner, going from about 18 percent to 20 percent. They also looked at the option of awarding more prize money across the field, but settled on the winner’s increase.

Final approval could come as early as next month’s Travelers Championship, the week after the U.S. Open. If the resolution clears as expected, the rule would officially begin in the 2019-2020 season.

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The benefit to players is obvious – a simpler cut rule means players will know exactly where they need to be to advance, and gives all players who make the cut both weekend rounds to try to move up the leaderboard. The idea of sending a player home who “made the cut” never sat right with me, either.

A higher payout to the winner is never a bad incentive, although I personally would have voted to spread the wealth a bit. Most winners already make about 60 percent more than the runner-up, and nearly three times third-place money. For instance, Max Homa brought home over $1.4 million for winning the Wells Fargo Championship. Justin Rose, in third, made just over $537,000.

While I’m not naive enough to believe that smaller weekend fields will necessarily speed up the pace of play on the PGA TOUR, a less crowded course on the weekend should at least cut down on lengthy TV times, and allow for more flexibility in case of bad weather. Sure, a lot of these issues are rare, but side benefits are still benefits.

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Overall, happier players should inherently improve the quality of the PGA TOUR product, and getting rid of a silly, failed rule is never a bad thing. Credit to all parties involved for making the game we all love just a little bit better.

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