PGA Championship Cut Rule and Qualification
The PGA Championship cuts the field after 36 holes to the top 70 players and ties. There is no 10‑stroke rule, no secondary cut, and no playoff to reduce ties. That’s the short answer. Qualification, however, requires one of 20 exemption categories — winning a major, finishing inside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking, or earning a spot through a PGA Tour victory are the most common paths. The sections below walk through the exact cut mechanics, how players actually get in, and what can go wrong.
How the 36‑Hole Cut Actually Works
Two rounds (Thursday and Friday) determine who stays. Once the final Friday score is posted, anyone tied for 70th place or better plays the weekend.
What the “plus ties” rule means in practice
If 72 players are tied at the 70th‑place score, all 72 advance. No sudden‑death playoff trims the field — the weekend group simply expands. This contrasts with some other tours that cap the field at a fixed number.
No 10‑shot cushion
The PGA Championship does not use the Masters’ or U.S. Open’s 10‑stroke rule. A player 15 shots behind the leader can still make the cut if enough people shoot worse or withdraw. This happened in 2022 when Matthew Wolff shot 73‑76 and survived because the cut line drifted to +8 (tied 70th). His score equaled the line, not because he was close to the lead.
No secondary cut after 54 holes
Field size stays the same for Saturday and Sunday. The Open Championship also uses a single cut; the U.S. Open and Masters do not have a secondary cut either. So every player who makes the 36‑hole cut is guaranteed two more rounds.
Qualification Pathways: Getting Into the Field Before Thursday
The PGA of America awards invitations through 20 exemption categories. Most spots go to players who prove themselves in high‑profile events. Below are the most practical routes, grouped by how you earn them.
Automatic From Recent Major Championships
- PGA Championship winner – Lifetime exemption. Example: Justin Thomas earned entry through 2029 after his 2022 win, regardless of other results.
- Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship winners – Five‑year exemption from the year they won. Scottie Scheffler (2022 Masters) still qualifies through 2027; Jon Rahm (2023 Masters) through 2028.
- Top 15 and ties from the previous PGA Championship – Comes with an automatic invite for the next year. In 2023, Michael Block (T15) qualified for 2024 without needing any other status.
Tour Performance Exemptions
- PGA Tour tournament winners – Any PGA Tour win during the qualifying window (roughly the prior 12 months) earns a spot. Example: Chris Kirk’s 2024 Sony Open win got him into the 2024 PGA Championship.
- Top 70 in prior season’s FedExCup points – Full list from the previous season is released after the Tour Championship. Players like Adam Schenk (finished 2023 at No. 52) qualified for 2024 via this category.
- Top three from the Korn Ferry Tour points list – Each year the top three KFT graduates (not already exempt) receive invitations.
World Ranking and Special Categories
- Top 100 in Official World Golf Ranking as of the final cutoff – The cutoff is typically two weeks before the championship. Players just outside other categories often get in here. Example: In 2024, Ryan Fox (OWGR No. 64) qualified through this route.
- Past Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team members (last two years) – Both U.S. and European players. Ben Griffin played the 2023 Ryder Cup for Europe and was eligible.
- Lifetime achievement special invitations – Rare, but used for players like Phil Mickelson (after his 2021 PGA Championship win, he already had lifetime exemption; the special invite category is reserved for legends near retirement who lack other routes).
How to Verify a Player’s Status
To confirm whether a specific player has qualified, go to the PGA of America’s official website (pgachampionship.com) and find the “Player Field” page. It lists each player with the exemption category used. Or check the OWGR website for the top‑100 list on the cutoff date. For PGA Tour members, the FedExCup standings page shows the top 70 from the prior season.
The Cut Line in Context: How It Compares With Other Majors
The PGA Championship and Open Championship share the most generous cut rule (70 plus ties). The Masters uses a tighter line (top 50 and ties, plus anyone within 10 shots). The U.S. Open uses top 60 and ties plus the 10‑shot rule.
| Major | Cut rule | Typical weekend field | 10‑shot rule? | Secondary cut? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters | Top 50 and ties + 10‑shot rule | 50–60 | Yes | No |
| PGA Championship | Top 70 and ties | 70–85 | No | No |
| U.S. Open | Top 60 and ties + 10‑shot rule | 60–75 | Yes | No |
| Open Championship | Top 70 and ties | 70–85 | No | No |
Practical consequence: A player at +5 through 36 holes might survive the cut at a high‑scoring PGA Championship but would almost certainly miss it at Augusta. For example, at the 2024 Masters, the cut line was +2; at the 2024 PGA Championship (Valhalla), the cut line was +3. A score of +5 would have missed the Masters by three but missed the PGA only if ties did not extend far enough.
When Exemptions Don’t Help: Missing the Weekend
Qualifying does not guarantee weekend play. Every player, including defending champions and world No. 1s, must finish inside the top 70 plus ties. If they don’t, they go home after Friday.
Real‑world example: Collin Morikawa won the 2020 PGA Championship. In the 2021 edition (his defense), he shot 73‑71 and missed the cut by several shots. His lifetime exemption stayed intact, so he qualified for the 2022 championship automatically, but he did not play the weekend in 2021.
Another case: In 2023, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler made the cut because he finished T2. In 2022, however, he was T55 entering the weekend — still inside the line — but that was only because the cut line moved to +8. A weaker year could see top players go home.
What happens if a player misses the cut?
They earn zero FedExCup points and no prize money for the weekend portion. Their qualification status for future PGAs remains unchanged except for any category that depends on finishes (e.g., top‑15 from that year’s tournament is lost, but a past‑champion exemption is not affected).
Qualification vs. Cut: One Distinction That Matters
- Qualification gets you into the 156‑player starting field.
- The cut decides whether you stay for rounds 3 and 4.
The two are independent. A past champion who earned lifetime exemption still has to shoot low enough to make the cut. A PGA Tour winner who qualified via a tournament victory also faces the same 70‑plus‑ties line.
Quick checklist for players trying to get in:
- Win a major or a PGA Tour event.
- Finish top 15 at last year’s PGA Championship.
- End the season inside the top 70 of the FedExCup.
- Stay inside the OWGR top 100 at the cutoff date.
If none of those apply, consult the PGA of America’s complete exemption list (available at pgachampionship.com) or your tour’s eligibility office for specific cutoff dates.
Michael Reeves is a PGA Professional with over 20 years of experience in competitive golf and instruction. A former Division I collegiate player at the University of Texas, he competed on the mini-tours before transitioning to full-time coaching and golf journalism. He has been a certified PGA teaching professional since 2005 and has worked with players at every level, from absolute beginners to collegiate champions.
His writing has appeared in Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, and The Left Rough. At GolfHubz, Michael leads the editorial team, overseeing fact-checking and ensuring every answer meets the same standard he demands on the lesson tee: clear, evidence-based, and immediately useful.
When he’s not writing or teaching, Michael plays to a +1.4 handicap at his home club in Austin, Texas. He has attended over 40 major championships as a journalist and fan, and has played more than 200 courses across 15 countries.
You can reach Michael at [email protected] or follow his occasional swing analysis posts on the site.
