British Open 2024: How the 36-hole cut is determined at Royal Troon

TROON, Scotland — Cut day at the British Open brings with it plenty of stress and anxiety as players well down the leader board are still keeping a close eye on the scores to figure out where they stand, and whether the numbers they’re posting will be low enough to play on the weekend. Exactly where that will fall at Royal Troon is made more uncertain by a weather forecast that calls for some wind and rain on Friday that could change the equation.

The rules for who makes the cut at the Open are similar to those at the PGA Championship: low 70 players and ties advance to play all four rounds. This differs from the U.S. Open, which makes the cut at low 60 and ties, and the Masters, which keeps the low 50 and ties around on the weekend. And there is no “10-stroke rule” in effect to help determine the British Open cut.

All this is, of course, particularly relevant for handful of the game’s more familiar names, including the two central figures at the most recent major, the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Both winner Bryson DeChambeau (76) and runner-up Rory McIlroy (78) have work to do Friday at Troon if they hope to find themselves merely playing on the weekend let alone back in contention.

Other notables that will be in search of a low score to keep their major season going include: Max Homa (76), Will Zalatoris (76), Tommy Fleetwood (76), Sahith Theegala (77), Rory McIlroy (78), Wyndham Clark (78), Rickie Fowler (79) and Tiger Woods (79).

What are their chances of making Open Championship 36-hole cut and playing the weekend? Well if the cut was made after just 18 holes, you needed to shoot three-over-par 74 or better to be inside the top 70 and ties. With 30 players posting even-par or better scores in the first round, the projected cutline from datagolf.com as of 4:30 a.m. Eastern on Friday was a 43.8 percent probability of five-over 147 being the number, 25.3 percent probability it rising to six-over 148 and a 22.9 percent probability it falls to four-over 146. That means every player listed about would have to shoot even-par or better scores on Friday, with McCarthy and Mickelson needing a sub-par number and Thomas needing, well, a bit of a miracle.

As a point of reference, here’s what the Open Championship 36-hole cut line has been for the last 10 Opens:

2023: 145 (+3), Royal Liverpool
2022: 144 (E), St. Andrews
2021: 141 (+1), Royal St. George's
2019: 143 (+1), Royal Portrush
2018: 145 (+3), Carnoustie
2017: 145 (+5), Royal Birkdale
2016: 146 (+4), Royal Troon
2015: 144 (E), St. Andrews
2014: 146 (+2), Royal Liverpool
2013: 150 (+8), Muirfield

And here is the cut for the last three Opens at Royal Troon:

2016: 146 (+4)
2004: 145 (+3)
1997: 147 (+5)

• • •

Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.

• • •

MORE GOLF DIGEST BRITISH OPEN COVERAGE

British Open 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions

How to watch the British Open on TV and streaming

Power Rankings: Every player in the field at Royal Troon

Video: Every hole at Royal Troon

How hard can the 123-yard Postage Stamp hole really be? Our deep-dive explantion

Tiger Woods and when enough is enough

History of the claret jug: 152 years of triumphs, dents and lots of drinking

How Brian Harman (aka ‘The butcher of Hoylake’) beat the British tabloids

Rory McIlroy’s media blowoff reignites debate about obligation in the face of frustration

Links golf interactive: What shots you should play on a links course