The 51st edition of The Players Championship is officially underway, and while the PGA Tour's flagship event might not be "the fifth major" for some, there is no denying its status as one of the biggest events on the golf calendar each and every year.
Regardless of where this event ranks amongst some of the sport's greatest championships, there is no place quite like TPC Sawgrass, as Pete Dye's design sets the perfect stage for drama and an exciting finish to a golf tournament more often than not.
A handful of big names, along with a good mixture of surprise early contenders, got off to exceptional starts on day one of the 2025 Players Championship. Players like Lucas Glover, Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel, Rickie Fowler, and Scottie Scheffler, to name a few, likely won't have to worry about this year's cut line at TPC Sawgrass.
Others, however, will be left wondering what they might need to do in order to secure a weekend tee time.
Of course, making the cut at a locale susceptible to the slightest change in weather and featuring dangerous hazards lurking around every corner is no easy task. This often leads to a fluctuating cut line that can leave even the best players on their toes. But precisely what are the cut rules for The Players and how many players will tee it up over the weekend?
2025 Players Championship cut rules
The 2025 Players Championship will have a traditional cut after 36 holes, with the top 65 players and ties from this year's field of 144 making it safely through to the weekend. These are the same cut rules that are implemented at the majority of PGA Tour events.
The Players Championship cut rules differ from those of the four major championships, however, with each major, The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open, and The Open having its own varying set of cut rules. Meanwhile, each Signature Event on the PGA Tour schedule also has its own rules, with most of those events no longer implementing a cut.
Additionally, unlike last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational, there is no 10-stroke rule, meaning that any player within 10 strokes of the leader at TPC Sawgrass after 36 holes will still miss the cut if they are outside of the top 65 players and ties.
What has the cut line previously been at The Players Championship?
The cut line at last year's Players Championship, won by Scottie Scheffler, was 1-under. Here is a look at the last five editions of the tournament. *The 2020 edition was canceled after one round due to COVID-19.
Year | Cut Line |
|---|---|
2024 | -1 |
2023 | +2 |
2022 | +2 |
2021 | E |
2019 | -1 |
Looking back at recent editions of The Players Championship, it's interesting to note that the cut line has fluctuated on numerous occasions, illustrating the unpredictable nature of this event. However, despite these various cut lines in recent years, not once has the number surpassed more than a few strokes around par in either direction.
Players Championship cut line projection: What will the cut be in 2025?
The 2025 edition of The Players Championship is on track to produce a similar cut line to recent years, with Data Golf projecting a 1-under cut line and giving it around a 39% chance of coming to fruition. If the currently projected number were to hold, it would match last year's edition of The Players and would mark the third time in six tournaments that had happened.
As things stand, that number falling back to even par is increasingly more likely than it is moving forward to 2-under, with scoring conditions only expected to become more difficult as the week moves on, standing at 34% and 15%, respectively.
A 1-under cut line could potentially spell bad news for players including Shane Lowry, Xander Schauffele, Sam Burns, and Sahith Theegala, to name a few. Additionally, the currently projected number would leave players like Tony Finau, Sungjae Im, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Thomas, and others needing to produce a near miracle to make the weekend at the 51st edition of The Players.