Making the cut at the U.S. Open is always a daunting task for the elite field that gathers once a year to compete for America's national championship. And making the cut at a historically difficult venue like Oakmont Country Club is an achievement in its own right.
The best golfers on the planet are together this week for the 125th playing of the United States Open, and, as one might expect, Oakmont showed its teeth on day one of this year's championship. While a handful of players, including past U.S. Open winners Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm, got off to the ideal start, others were less fortunate.
Several big names, including Rory McIlroy (+4), defending champion Bryson DeChambeau (+3), and world No.1 Scottie Scheffler (+3), will likely need a strong showing during the second round if they hope to be around for the weekend on Oakmont's challenging par-70 layout.
With only a handful of players in the red and the field as a whole averaging more than four strokes over par during the first round, the U.S. Open is seemingly set to deliver another high cut in 2025. But what are the cut rules at the year's third major championship, and how many players make it safely through to the weekend? Let's take a look.
U.S. Open cut rules: How many players make the cut?
The U.S. Open cut is arguably the most difficult cut to make for a number of reasons.
Unlike the other three major championships, only the top 60 players and ties at the halfway point will make it through to the weekend.
This differs from the PGA Championship and the British Open, both of which boast top-70 and ties cut rules. The Masters only allows the top 50 players and ties to play the weekend at Augusta National, but unlike this week's 156-player field, The Masters features a field size of less than 100.
Historic U.S. Open cut lines: What has the cut been at the last five U.S. Opens?
Like the British Open and PGA Championship, the U.S. Open rotates venues every year. Last year's U.S. Open cut line at Pinehurst No.2 was 5-over, the highest mark since Winged Foot in 2020. Here is a look at the cut lines in recent years.
Year | Cut Line |
|---|---|
2024 U.S. Open (Pinehurst No. 2) | +5 |
2023 U.S. Open (Los Angeles Country Club) | +2 |
2022 U.S. Open (The Country Club) | +3 |
2021 U.S. Open (Torrey Pines South Course) | +4 |
2020 U.S. Open (Winged Foot) | +6 |
As mentioned, the highest cut line in a recent U.S. Open came back at the 2020 Open at Winged Foot. The 6-over mark that year matched the cut line at the most recent U.S. Open held at Oakmont in 2016 and was only bested by the 2018 edition at Shinnecock Hills (+8) over the last decade.
U.S. Open cut line projection: What will the cut be in 2025?
For what would be just the third time in the last ten U.S. Opens, the year's third major is trending towards a 6-over par cut line, with Data Golf giving the mark about a 40% chance of coming to fruition.
Of course, with Oakmont continuing to challenge the best golfers in the world, the cut line could very easily fall back to +7, an outcome that is being given around a 32% probability. Meanwhile, the cut climbing back up to 5-over is only being given around a 17% chance.
A +6 cut line would currently spell good news for players, including the big three of McIlroy, DeChambeau, and Scheffler, all of whom would comfortably make the weekend. For others, including Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, and Justin Rose, however, they could be in a more precarious position.